L I B RARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

Of    ILLINOIS 

9772 

In2 

v.7 

cop.  4 


ILL  «{ST.  SURVEY 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign 


http://archive.org/details/sieurdevincennes71royp 


INDIANA 


HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


PUBLICATIONS 

VOLUME  VII 

% 
1923 


Xn2- 


CONTENTS  OF  VOLUME  VII 


No.      1.      SlEUR  DE  VlNCENNES   IDENTIFIED. 

By  Pierre-Georges  Roy.  Pages  1-130 

No.    2.    Morgan's  Raid  in  Indiana. 

By  Judge  Louis  B.  Ewbank.  Pages  131-184 

No.    3.    Reminiscences  of  the  Early  Marion  County  Bar. 

By  William  Watson  Woollen.  Pages  185-208 

No.    4.    The  National  Road  in  Indiana. 

By  Lee  Burns.  Pages  209-237 

No.    5.    Early  Indianapolis. 

By  Mrs.  Laura  Fletcher  Hodges.  Pages  238-267 

No.    6.    One  Hundred  Years  in  Public  Health  in  Indiana. 

By  Dr.  W.  F.  King.  Pages  268-291 

No.    7.    Fort  Wayne  in  1790. 

By  M.  M.  Quaife.  Pages  293-361 

No.    8.    Washington  County  Giants. 

By  Harvey  Morris.  Pages  363-447 

No.    9.    The  Science  of  Columbus. 

By  Elizabeth  Miller  Hack.  Pages  449-480 

No.  10.    Abraham  Lincoln,  Lawyer. 

By  Charles  N.  Moores.  Pages  481-535 


P TERRE  GEORGES   ROY 


INDIANA  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  PUBLICATIONS 

Vol.  7.  No.  1. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 


BY 

PIERRE-GEORGES  ROY 


INDIANAPOLIS 
C.   E.    PAULEY   &  COilPANY 


INTRODUCTORY 

On  November  3,  1672,  the  Canadian  fief  of  Vincennes  was 
granted  to  Francois  Bissot.  On  his  death  it  passed  to  his  son, 
Jean  Baptiste  Bissor,  who  died  at  the  Indian  village  of  Ki- 
ki-on-ga,  the  site  of  Fort  Wayne,  in  1719.  From  that  date 
there  has  been  found  no  official  record  of  the  ownership  in 
Canada  until  1749,  when  it  passed  by  judicial  decree  to  Joseph 
Roy.  It  is  an  interesting  coincidence — for  Indiana,  a  happy 
coincidence — that  the  centennial  year  of  Indiana's  statehood 
should  have  been  made  more  memorable  by  the  identification 
of  the  Sieur  de  Vincennes,  who  succeeded  Jean  Baptiste  Bissot, 
and  who  founded  the  first  permanent  settlement  in  Indiana,  by 
a  descendant  of  Joseph  Roy.  Ever  since  Americans  began  the 
study  of  the  early  French  history  of  this  region,  the  identity 
of  this  Sieur  de  Vincennes  has  been  almost  as  mysterious  as 
that  of  the  Man  in  the  Iron  Mask,  or  the  author  of  the  Letters 
of  Junius.  Judge  Law,  the  first  American  who  undertook  any 
systematic  investigation  of  the  history  of  Vincennes,  stated 
that  he  signed  his  name  ''Francois  Morgan  de  Vinsenne"  ;  but 
Morgan  is  not  a  Canadian  or  French  name,  and  the  fief  was 
in  the  Bissot  family  until  1749.  But  a  sister  of  Jean  Baptiste 
Bissot  married  Séraphin  Margane,  which  is  the  French  name 
most  nearly  approaching  ''Morgan",  and  it  has  generally  been 
assumed  that  a  son  or  grandson  of  hers  must  have  been  our 
Sieur  de  Vincennes.  It  has  remained  for  M.  Pierre-Georges 
Roy,  an  erudite  Canadian  writer,  to  unearth  the  conclusive 
documentary  evidence  that  our  founder  was  Francois  Bissot,  a 
son  of  Jean  Baptiste  Bissot,  who  was  in  the  French  military 
service  at  the  same  time  as  his  father;  and  that  this  Francois 
Bissot's  godfather  was  his  uncle  Francois  Margane.  This 
clears  the  mystery,  it  being  evident  that  Francois  Bissot  as- 


4  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

sumed  his  godfather's  name,  as  was  often  done  by  the  early 
Canadians,  to  distinguish  himself  from  his  father,  who  signed 
his  name  "Bissot  de  Vinsenne".  The  same  document  also 
establishes  the  fact  that  the  first  French  post  in  Indiana  was 
built  at  Fort  Wayne  in  1722,  and  gives  us  a  definite  point  for 
the  beginning  of  European  settlement  within  our  borders, 
although  this  post  was  not  permanent,  the  post  having  been 
destroyed  by  the  Indians  in  1747. 

Pierre-Georges  Roy,  to  whom  Indiana  is  indebted  for  this 
information,  was  born  at  Levis,  across  the  St.  Lawrence  from 
Quebec,  October  23,  1870.  He  is  the  son  of  the  Notary  Leon 
Roy  and  Marguerite  de  Lavoye,  being  the  twelfth  child  in  a 
family  of  fourteen.  One  of  his  elder  brothers  was  the  dis- 
tinguished J.  Edmond  Roy,  President  of  the  Royal  Society 
of  Canada,  and  author  of  the  History  of  the  Seigneury  of 
Lauzon.  M.  Leon  Roy  was  able  to  give  his  family  good 
educations,  and  Pierre-Georges  graduated  in  turn  from  the 
College  of  Levis,  the  Seminary  of  Quebec,  and  the  University 
of  Laval.  Literary  by  inclination,  his  first  venture  was  the 
establishment,  in  1890,  of  Le  Glaneur,  a  magazine  for  young 
people,  which  was  continued  for  two  years.  He  then  entered 
journalistic  work  on  the  Quotidien,  at  Levis,  and  the  Canadien, 
at  Quebec,  and  established  Le  Moniteur,  at  Levis,  In  1894  he 
was  made  deputy  Clerk  of  the  Court  of  Appeals  at  Quebec, 
in  which  office  he  remained  for  twenty  years,  meanwhile  con- 
tinuing his  historical  and  literary  researches.  In  1895  he  es- 
tablished Le  Bulletin  des  Recherches  Historiques,  which  has 
been,  and  still  is,  the  great  arena  for  Canadian  historical  dis- 
cussion, and  is  the  recognized  organ  of  the  Société  des  Etudes 
Historiques.  In  addition  to  editorial  work,  M.  Roy  is  the 
author  of  numerous  publications  among  which,  with  their  dates 
of  issue,  are  the  following: 

La  Réception  de  Mgr  le  Vicomte  D'Argenson,  1890;  Pre- 
mier Voyage  de  Jacques  Cartier  au  Canada,   1890;  Oraison 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  5 

Funèbre  du  Comte  de  Frontenac,  1895  ;  Les  Troubles  de 
L'Eglise  du  Canada  en  1728,  1897;  La  Neuvième  Législature 
de  Québec,  1897;  Guide  de  Levis,  1898;  Bibliographie  de  la 
Poésie  Franco-Canadienne,  1900;  La  Famille  Taschereau, 
1901  ;  Notre-Dame  de  Bonsecours  de  LTslet,  1901  ;  Sainte-Julie 
de  Somerset,  1901  ;  La  Dixième  Legislature  de  Quebec,  1901  ; 
Sainte-Antoine  de  Tilly,  1902  ;  La  Famille,  Frémont,  1902  ;  La 
Famille  Juchereau  Duchesnay,  1903  ;  La  Famille  D'Estimau- 
ville  de  Beaumouchel,  1903;  La  Famille  Taché,  1904;  La 
Famille  Godefroy  de  Tonnancour,  1904;  Un  Procès  Criminel  a 
Quebec  au  17e  Siècle,  1904;  Oraison  Funèbre  de  Mgr  de 
Pontbriand,  1905  ;  La  Famille  DTrumberry  de  Salaberry,  1905  ; 
La  Famille  Rocbert  de  la  Morandière,  1905  ;  La  Famille  des 
Champs  de  Boishebert,  1906  ;  La  Famille  Panet,  1906  ;  Oraison 
Funèbre  de  Mgr  Briand,  1906;  Les  Noms  Géographiques  de 
Québec,  1906;  La  Famille  Renaud  D'Avéne  des  Meloizes, 
1907;  La  Famille  Aubert  de  Gaspè,  1907;  La  Famille  Bois- 
seau, 1907;  La  Famille  Adhémar  de  Lantagnac,  1908;  La 
Famille  Jarret  de  Verchéres,  1908;  La  Famille  Mariauchau 
D'Esgly,  1908;  La  Famille  Céloron  de  Blainville,  1909;  La 
Famille  de  Ramezay,  1910;  Autour  de  la  Buvette,  1910;  Le 
Grand  Menteur,  1911;  La  Famille  Bailly  de  Messein,  1911; 
La  Famille  des  Bergères  de  Rigauville,  1912;  La  Famille 
Faribault,  1913;  La  Famille  Bécard  de  Grandville,  1914;  La 
Famille  Viennay-Pachot,  1915;  La  Famille  Foucault,  1915; 
La  Famille  Glackemeyer,  1915;  La  Famille  Chavigny  de 
la  Chevrotiér,  1,16;  La  Famille  Margane  de  Lavaltrie,  1917; 
La  Famille  Guillimin,  1917;  Inventaire  D'une  Collection  de 
Pieces  Judiciaires,  Notariales,  etc.,  etc.,  2  vols.  1917;  La  Gla- 
neur, 2  vols.  ;  Le  Moniteur,  2  vols  ;  Le  Bulletin  des  Recherches 
Historiques,  23  vols,  (1)  1895-1917. 

These  works  are  historical  with  the  exception  of  Autour 
de  la  Buvette  and  Le  Grand  Menteur,  which  are  temperance 
arguments,  M.  Roy  being  a  stalwart  prohibitionist.     Among 


6  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

the  recognitions  of  his  literary  work  have  been  his  election 
to  the  Royal  Society  of  Canada  in  1904,  the  decoration  of 
Officier  de  L'Instruction  Publique  from  the  French  Govern- 
ment in  1905,  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Letters  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Laval  in  1906,  and  the  appointment  of  Federal 
Archivist  of  Quebec  in  1915.  For  putting  it  in  touch  with  M. 
Roy,  the  Indiana  Historical  Society  is  indebted  to  Hon.  Merrill 
Moores,  who  visited  Quebec  in  the  summer  of  1916,  and 
learned  that  M.  Roy  had  made  a  collection  of  documents 
concerning  the  Bissot  family.    Mr.  Moores  says  of  his  visit  : 

"I  went  to  Quebec  for  the  purpose  of  finding  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  Roy  family,  who  I  supposed  would  be  still 
in  possession  of  the  seignory.  I  went  to  Buffalo  and  down  by 
boat  to  Quebec,  and  was  told  by  a  priest  on  the  boat  that  a 
lawyer  and  also  a  historian,  brothers  who  belonged  to  the 
Roy  family,  which  had  possessed  the  seignory,  were  still  liv- 
ing in  Levis,  across  from  the  city  of  Quebec,  the  one  being 
named  Edmond  and  the  other  Georges.  I  crossed  to  Levis 
and  made  inquiries  as  to  both  of  these  gentlemen,  and  found 
that  the  lawyer,  who  had  been  a  man  of  prominence,  was 
dead.  I  then,  with  some  difficulty,  located  the  house  of  the 
man  I  had  been  told  was  a  college  professor  and  historian. 
His  house  was  temporarily  vacant,  but  a  neighbor  told  me 
that  I  would  find  him  at  his  country  house  to  the  east  of 
Levis.  Being  unable  to  get  a  cab,  I  took  a  trolley  car  as 
far  as  it  went  and  learned  from  a  grocer  where  the  country 
house  was,  and  started  across  a  tremendous  meadow  in  the 
direction  of  the  country  house.  In  crossing  the  meadow  I 
met  a  gentleman  walking  toward  the  city  of  Levis  with  a 
boy  and  a  girl,  of  about  eleven  and  nine  years  old.  I  spoke 
to  the  gentleman  in  English  and  asked  to  be  directed  to 
the  residence  of  Mr.  Roy.  He  told  me  in  French  that  he 
was  Mr.  Roy,  and  he  and  I  walked  back  to  Levis  together 
He  told  me  that  the  seignory  was  several  miles  to  the  east 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  7 

of  where  I  had  met  him,  and  that  his  country  house  was 
only  about  half  a  mile  east  of  there,  and  was  on  land 
which  had  belonged  to  the  seignors,  and  was  on  the  site  of 
the  old  family  tannery.  Returning,  he  showed  me  where 
the  bakery  of  the  original  Roy  had  been  located.  This  had 
long  ago  disappeared.  It  seems  that  Bissot  was  the  principal 
tanner  and  Roy  the  principal  baker  in  early  colonial  days. 
I  had  an  invitation  from  Mr.  Roy  who  took  me  to  his  office 
at  23  Rue  St.  Louis,  Quebec  (which  is  a  part  of  the  old 
mansion  occupied  by  the  Duke  of  Kent,  father  of  Queen 
Victoria,  at  the  time  when  he  was  Governor  General  of 
Lower  Canada).  I  had  a  very  delightful  visit  with  Mr. 
Roy,  who,  as  I  say,  offered  to  drive  me  out  to  the  old  fief. 
But  Congress  was  in  session  and  I  had  to  go  back  and 
could  not  get  out.  I  have  a  promise  from  him,  however, 
to  show  me  the  fief  on  my  next  visit  to  Quebec.  It  is 
between  600  and  700  acres,  and  is  quadrangular  in  shape, 
being  perhaps  a  quarter  of  a  mile  on  the  river  and  running 
back  a  considerable  distance  to  the  south  of  the  river.  It  is 
directly  south  of  the  Isle  d'  Orleans.  It  is  in  the  county  of 
Bellechasse.  The  village  of  Beaumont  is,  I  think,  on  the  fief. 
The  old  fief  now  belongs  to  a  Quebec  lawyer  named  Gra- 
hame.  I  think  his  name  is  Stuart  Grahame.  Mr.  Roy  has 
written  a  great  deal  of  Canadian  history,  particularly  with 
regard  to  old  Canadian  families  and  early  trials.  He  is  not 
a  lawyer,  but  is  a  professor  in  Laval  University,  and  is  Pub- 
lic Archivist  of  the  Province.  His  cousin,  Alfred  Valère 
Roy,  is  the  Liberal  member  of  the  Legislative  Assembly  for 
Quebec  for  the  constituency  of  Levis  ;  and  another  relative 
is  Camille  Roy,  secretary  of  Laval  University.  Another  is 
Paul  Eugene  Roy,  auxiliary  bishop  of  Quebec.  Still  an- 
other, Phillippe,  is  Commissioner  of  Canada,  in  France,  and 
has  been  and  possibly  still  is  a  Senator  in  the  Canadian  Sen- 


8  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

The  Society  is  indebted  to  Mrs.  Charles  W.  Moores  for 
the  translation  of  M.  Roy's  documents,  which  were  in  French; 
and  also  to  Miss  Belle  Noble  Dean,  for  typewriting  the  trans- 
lation. 
The  translations   follow. 

J.  P.  DUNN, 
Secretary,  Ind.  Hist.  Soc. 


SIEUR  DE  VINCENNES  IDENTIFIED 


PONT-AUDEMER,    PLACE  OF  THE  ORIGIN,   In   FRANCE,   OF  THE 
BlSSOTS  OF  VlNCENNES. 

The  town  of  Pont-Audemer  is  today  the  chief  place  of 
the  district  of  the  department  of  l'Eure.  Its  population  is 
a  little  more  than  six  thousand  souls.  The  actual  town  of 
Pont-Audemer  is  situated  on  the  site  of  an  ancient  military 
post  on  the  Roman  road  from  Lillebonne  to  Lisieux. 

After  the  Norman  conquest,  Pont-Audemer  formed  the 
endowment  of  an  important  Norman  family.  One  of  the 
lords  of  the  town,  Onfroi,  built  the  walls  and  the  castle.  In 
1122  the  town  was  burned  by  Henry  I  of  England,  and  the 
castle  suffered  a  siege  of  seven  weeks.  In  1203  the  seigniory 
of  Pont-Audemer  was  confiscated  by  Richard  the  Lion-hearted. 
Then  it  was  attached  to  the  duchy  of  Normandy  by  John 
Lackland.  The  next  year  Pont-Audemer  submitted  to  Philip 
Augustus,  who  established  and  extended  its  communal  liber- 
ties. In  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  centuries  many  provin- 
cial councils  were  held  at  Pont-Audemer,  notably  in  1244, 
1257,  1259,  1260,  1265,  1267,  1269,  1279,  1286,  1291,  1305, 
13321.  In  the  fourteenth  century  likewise  many  of  the  Nor- 
man states  held  their  councils  at  Pont-Audemer. 

On  the  second  of  February,  1353,  John  the  Good,  among 
other  domains  abandoned  the  viscounty  of  Pont-Audemer  to 
the  king  of  Navarre,  Charles  the  Bad.  This  town  was  then 
by  many  seiges  disputed  between  the  troops  of  Navarre  and 
the  royal  armies.  In  1378  Du  Guesclin  and  admiral  Jean  de 
Vienne  took  possession  of  it  and  razed  the  walls  and  the  castle. 
Charles  the  Third  the  Noble,  son  of  Charles  the  Bad,  re- 


10  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

nounced  his  rights  over  Pont-Audemer  in  consideration  of  a 
sum  of  ready  money.  In  1418  Pont-Audemer  fell  into  the 
power  of  the  English.  In  the  following  year,  Dunois  re- 
occupied  it  in  the  name  of  the  king  of  France.  During  the 
religious  wars  the  town  was  taken  and  retaken  several  times 
by  the  protestants  and  the  catholics. 

Pont-Audemer  was  in  the  middle  ages  an  important  port. 
It  is  said  to  have  furnished  sixty  ships  to  the  expedition  of 
William  the  Conqueror.  Pont-Audemer  is  now  no  more  than 
a  little  river  port  frequented  annually  by  about  five  hundred 
ships  of  different  tonnage.  Since  the  eleventh  century  the 
inhabitants  of  the  town  have  been  engaged  successfully  in  the 
manufacture  of  fabrics  and  the  preparation  of  leather.  The 
making  of  paper  was  already  flourishing  in  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury. These  three  industries  have  continued  at  Pont-x\udemer 
until  our  time.  Francois  Bissot  de  la  Rivière,  who  introduced 
tanneries  so  successfully  in  New  France,  had  been  then  in  a 
good  school. 

Pont-Audemer  still  possesses  some  beautiful  monuments. 
Notably  the  church  of  Saint-Oeun,  whose  choir  goes  back  to 
the  eleventh  century  ;  the  church  of  Notre-Dame  du  Pré,  where 
Francois  Bissot  de  la  Rivière  was  baptized,  of  which  there 
remains  a  nave  which  is  considered  to  go  back  to  the  twelfth 
century;  the  church  of  Saint-Germain  la  Campagne,  which 
has  also  a  nave  of  the  eleventh  century.* 

*This  information  about  Pont-Audemer  is  taken  from  The  History 
of  the  Town  of  Pont-Audemer,  from  the  Dictionaire  Historique  du 
Department  de  L'Eure  and  from  the  Grande  Encyclopédie. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  11 

GENEALOGY  OF  THE  FAMILY  BISSOT  DE 
VINCENNES. 

Francois  Bissot  de  la  Riviere. 

Francois  Bissot  de  la  Rivière  was  originally  from  Pont- 
Audemer,  a  town  of  ancient  Normandy,  which  today  forms  a 
part  of  the  department  of  l'Eure.  Born  in  the  parish  of 
Notre-Dame  des  Prés,  he  was  a  son  of  "the  honorable  man", 
Jean  Bissot  du  Gommer  and  of  Marie  Assour.  Bissot  went 
to  New  France  before  1639.  He  died  at  the  Hotel-Dieu 
of  Quebec  on  the  26th  of  July,  1673,  age  fifty-nine  years, 
and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  the  hospital. 

On  the  25th  of  October,  1648,  Francois  Bissot  de  la 
Rivière  married  at  Quebec,  Marie  Couillard,  daughter  of 
Guillaume  Couillard  and  of  Guillemette  Hébert.  Two  years 
after  the  death  of  Francois  Bissot  de  la  Rivière,  on  the  7th  of 
September,  1675,  at  Quebec,  Marie  Couillard  married  again, 
Jacques  de  Lalande-Gayon,  son  of  Pierre  de  Lalande-Gayon 
and  of  Marie  d'Arasne,  of  the  town  of  Bayonne.  Madame 
de  Lalande  died  at  Saint-Pierre  in  the  island  of  Orleans  on  the 
22d  of  June,  1703,  and  was  buried  the  next  day  in  the  ceme- 
tery of  this  parish.  Jacques  de  Lalande-Gayon,  after  the 
death  of  his  wife,  was  certainly  settled  in  France  for  six 
years. *  From  the  marriage  of  François  de  la  Rivière  and  of 
Marie  Couillard  were  born  twelve  children  : 

♦Jacques  deDalande-Gayon,  however,  went  to  Quebec  iu  1704, 
probably  to  arrange  the  inheritance  of  his  wife  but  he  soon  returned 
to  France.  From  the  marriage  of  Jacques  de  Lalande-Gayon  and  of 
Marie  Couillard  there  was  born  at  Quebec  a  son  on  the  26th  of  June, 
1677  :  Jacques-Marie  de  Lalande-Gayon.  He  became  captain  of  ves- 
sel in  the  service  of  the  king  of  Spain.  By  his  will,  received  at 
Bayonne  on  the  3rd  of  August,  1753,  before  the  notary  Duclercq,  he 
gave  to  his  nephew,  Louis  de  Lafontaine,  the  eldest  son  of  M.  de 


12  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

1 — Jean-Francois  Bissot. 

Born  at  Quebec  the  6th  of  December,  1649;  died  in  the 
same  place  on  the  25th  of  November,  1653.  He  was  buried 
the  next  day  in  the  chapel  of  St.  Joseph  of  the  parish  church, 
on  the  right  side  of  the  altar. 

2 — Louise  Bissot. 

Born  at  Quebec  the  25th  of  September,  1651  ;  married  at 
Quebec  the  12th  of  August,  1668,  to  Séraphin  Margane  de  La- 
valtrie,  lieutenant  of  a  company  of  a  regiment  of  Ligniéres,  son 
of  Sebastien  Margane  and  of  Denise  Tonnot,  of  the  parish 
of  Saint-Benoit,  town  and  archbishopric  of  Paris. 

M.  Margane  de  Lavaltrie  died  at  Montreal  May  16,  1699, 
and  was  buried  the  next  day  in  the  parish  church.  Madame 
de  Lavaltrie  survived  her  husband  almost  thirty-four  years 
before  she  died  at  Montreal,  March  1,  1733.*  From  their  mar- 
riage eleven  children  were  born  :  five  sons  and  six  daughters. 
Two  of  their  sons  were  killed  in  the  service  of  the  king.  An- 
other, after  having  lived  in  Labrador  for  many  years  and  hav- 
ing raised  a  family,  became  a  priest.  The  one  who  continued 
the  line  died  at  an  advanced  age  after  having  served  under 
the  crowns  of  France  and  England.  The  daughters  all  made 
distinguished  marriages.  The  family  Margane  de  Lavaltrie 
died  out  among  us  at  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century. 
M.  Benjamin  Suite  (Le  Regiment  de  Carignan,  p.  85)  makes  her 
die  in  1691. 

3 — Genevieve  Bissot. 

Born  at  Quebec  May  25,  1653  ;  married  at  Quebec  June  12, 
1673,  to  Louis  Maheu,  son  of  the  late  René  Maheu  and  the 

Lafontaine  de  Belcour  and  of  Charlotte  Bissot,  all  his  property,  his 
rights  and  law  suits  which  he  might  have  in  Canada,  on  condition 
that  he  lend  assistance  and  aid  to  his  sister  with  whom  the  said 
testator  recommended  him  to  live  on  good  terms  and  with  friendship. 
M.  de  Lalande-Gayon  valued  the  property  he  left  in  this  manner 
to  Louis  de  Lafontaine  at  the  sum  of  eight  thousand  livres. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  13 

late  Marguerite  Corriveau.  M.  Maheu  died  in  his  house  in 
the  lower  town  of  Quebec  November  24,  1683,  and  was  buried 
on  the  26th  in  the  parish  cemetery.  M.  J.  Edmond  Roy  elates 
an  annoying  adventure  which  happened  to  the  widow  Maheu  ; 
"Nicolas  Daneau  Sieur  de  Muy,  captain  of  a  company  of  in- 
fantry, and  who  was  to  be  later  appointed  governor  of 
Louisiana,  courted  her.  He  had  promised  marriage  and  the 
terms  of  the  betrothal  had  been  solemnly  agreed  upon,  when 
one  fine  day  suddenly  the  amorous  one  disappeared.  It  was 
learned  in  the  spring  of  1687  that  he  was  about  to  marry 
at  Boucherville  a  granddaughter  of  Pierre  Boucher,  the  old 
governor  of  Trois-Rivières.  In  spite  of  the  protestations  of 
the  discarded  beauty,  M.  de  Caumont,  then  missionary  at 
Boucherville,  married  the  faithless  one  to  Mile.  Marguerite 
Boucher.  A  law  suit  was  begun  in  the  court  of  the  provost 
at  Quebec,  and  the  priest  who  had  celebrated  the  marriage 
was  summoned  to  explain  himself.  They  were  summoned  to 
the  bishop's  court,  the  pledges  of  the  fickle  officer  were  seized. 
The  situation  threatened  to  become  more  and  more  compli- 
cated when,  to  avoid  too  great  a  scandal,  it  was  decided  that 
M.  de  Muy  should  pay  a  compensation  of  350  livres  to  the 
widow,  and  that  the  affair  should  be  forgotten.* 

We  after  that  lose  sight  of  the  widow  Maheu. 

On  April  4,  1869,  the  Covereign  Council  rendered  an  im- 
portant judgment  in  a  law  suit  begun  by  Francois  Vianney 
Pachot,  merchant  of  Quebec,  against  the  widow  Maheu.  She 
had  obtained  the  possession  of  the  effect  of  the  renunciation 
which  she  had  made  to  the  common  possession  which  had 
existed  between  her  and  her  late  husband.     She  was,  how- 

*Historie  de  la  seigneurie  de  Lanzon,  vol.  1,  p.  250.  Concern- 
ing Nicolas  Daneau  de  Muy  consult  the  Bulletin  Des  Recherches 
Historiques,  vol.  X,  p.  345. 


14  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

ever,  sentenced  to  give  back  the  sum  of  240  livres  and  10 
deniers  into  the  sum  total  of  the  personal  effect  of  the  said 
common  possession.f 

4 — Catherine  Bissot. 

Born  at  Quebec  March  6,  1655.  Married  at  Saint-Joseph 
de  la  Pointe-Levy  Nov.  27,  1670,  to  Etienne  Charest,  son 
of  the  late  Pierre  Charest  and  of  Renée  Marie  of  the  parish 
of  Sainte-Radegonde,  city  and  bishopric  of  Poitiers.  Madame 
Charest  died  at  Saint-Joseph  de  la  Pointe-Levy  in  1694.*  M. 
Charest  died  at  the  same  place  May  5,  1699,  and  was  buried 
the  next  day  in  the  parish  church.  Of  the  marriage  of  Etienne 
Charest  and  Catherine  Bissot  were  born  ten  children.  One 
of  them,  Etienne  Charest,  was,  in  1763,  sent  to  England  as  a 
deputy  of  the  people  to  beg  the  king  of  Great  Britain  to  grant 
his  new  subjects  a  bishop  to  be  governor  of  the  church  of 
Canada.     The   family  Charest  left  Canada  in   1765. 

5 — Claire-Fra n coise  B isso t . 

Born  at  Quebec  April  13,  1656.  Married  at  Quebec  Octo- 
ber 7,  1675,  to  Louis  Jolliet,  son  of  the  late  Jean  Jolliet  and 
of  Marie  d'Abancourt.  Louis  Jolliet  died  between  May  and 
September,  1700,  on  one  of  the  Mingan  islands  or  on  the 
island  of  Anticosti.  We  know  nothing  definite  on  this  point. 
Madame  Jolliet  died  at  Quebec  March  1,  1710,  and  was  buried 
the  next  day  at  the  parish  church. 

Of  the  marriage  of  Louis  Jolliet  and  Claire-Francoise  Bis- 

ÏJugements  et  Deliberations  Du  Conseil  Souverain,  vol.  Ill,  p.  313. 
*The  act  of  the  burial  of  Madame  Charest  cannot  be  found  in  the 
register,  but  an  entry  niade  in  the  account  book  of  the  vestry  board 
allows  no  doubt  of  the  date  of  her  death.  In  the  giving  in  of  the 
account  of  the  church  warden  Guillaume  Albert  for  1694:  "I  have 
received  fromi  M.  Charest  fourteen  pounds  which  he  owes  for  the 
burial  of  his  wife."  The  following  year  the  church  warden  received 
thirty-four  pounds,  the  balance  of  the  exepense  of  this  burial."  (A 
note  of  M.  Edmond  Roy.) 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  15 

sot  there  were  born  seven  children.  Their  two  sons  Jean- 
Baptiste  Jolliet  de  Mingan  and  Charles  Jolliet  d'  Anticosti, 
have  numerous  descendants  in  the  province  of  Quebec.  Louise 
Grignon,  the  daughter  of  Jean  Grignon,  who  married  Marie 
Genevieve  Jolliet,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Louis  Jolliet,  became 
the  wife  of  the  baron  of  Castelnau. 

6 — Marie  Bissot. 

Born  at  Quebec  July  3,  1657  ;  married  at  Quebec  December 
5,  1682,  to  Claude  Porlier,  merchant,  son  of  the  late  Claude 
Porlier  and  of  Marie-Madeleine  Sylvain,  of  the  parish  of 
Saint-Sévérin,  city  and  archbishopric  of   Paris. 

M.  Porlier  died  at  Quebec  July  31,  1689,  and  was  buried 
in  the  parish  church.  Marie  Bissot  married  again  at  Quebec, 
February  26,  1691,  Jacques  Gourdeau,  of  Beaulieu,  son  of 
Jacques  Gourdeau  de  Beaulieu,  citizen,  and  Eléonore  de 
Grandmaison.  Madame  Gourdeau  de  Beaulieu  died  at  Quebec 
July  23,  1719,  and  was  buried  in  the  parish  church  the  next 
day.    M.  Gourdeau  de  Beaulieu  died  in  his  turn  July  2,  1721. * 

Marie  Bissot  had  children  by  her  two  marriages.  The 
Porlier  family  died  out  among  us  about  the  middle  of  the  nine- 
teenth century.  The  Gourdeau  are  still  numerous  in  the  dis- 
trict of  Quebec.  Colonel  Gourdeau  ex-  sub  minister  of  the 
Marine,  is  descended  from  Jacques  G.  de  B.  and  Marie  Bissot. 

7 — Guillaume  Bissot. 

Born  at  Quebec  September  16,  1661. 

In  the  inventory  of  the  property  of  François  Bissot  de 
la  Rivière  made  April  27,  1676,  by  the  notary  Becquet,  it  is 

*Neither  Mgr.  Tanguay  nor  the  registers  of  Notre  Dame  of  Que- 
bec mention  the  death  of  M.  Gourdeau.  We  have  found  this  informa- 
tion in  a  request  addressed  to  the  Superior  Council  of  Quebec  in  Octo- 
ber, 1732,  by  Jacques  G.  de  B.,  son  of  Jacques  G.  de  B.  and  of  Marie 
Bissot,  to  obtain  some  letters  of  inheritance  without  liability  to  debts 
beyond  assets  descended. 


16  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

said  that  Louis  Jolliet  is  the  guardian  of  the  minor  Bissots 
among  others  Guillaume  fifteen  years  old. 

On  the  other  hand,  in  the  census  by  name  of  the  colony 
of  New  France  made  in  1681,  there  is  no  mention  of  Guil- 
laume Bissot.  From  which  one  can  conclude  that  he  died  be- 
tween 1676  and  1681. 

8 — Charles-Francois  Bissot. 

Born  at  Quebec  February  5,  1654. 

He  was  married  at  Montreal,  February  28,  1699,  to  Anne- 
François  Forestier,  daughter  of  Antoine  Forestier,  surgeon, 
and  of  Marie-Madeleine  Cavelier.  M.  Bissot  carried  on  busi- 
ness at  Mingan  for  twenty  years.  In  1705  he  turned  his  energies 
toward  the  island  of  Terre  Neuve  where  he  had  rented  the 
fief  and  seigniory  of  Port-à-Choix  in  order  to  carry  on  there 
fishing  and  trading.  We  lose  sight  of  him  from  this  time. 
It  is  possible  that  he  died  at  Terre-Neuve  and  also  his  wife 
and  François  Forestier.  We  know  of  one  child  Marie  Made- 
leine Bissot  born  at  Montreal  December  5,  1699;  died  at  La- 
chine  March  22,   1718. 

9 — Marie-Chario tic  Bissot. 

Marie-Charlotte  Bissot,  born  at  Quebec  June  4,  1666.  Mar- 
ried at  Saint-Joseph  de  la  Pointe-Lévy,  February  25,  1686, 
to  Pierre  Benac,  a  native  of  Bayonne,  merchant  of  Quebec. 
In  1690  M.  Benac  was  controller  general  of  the  farms  of  the 
king  in  New  France.  M.  Benac  returned  to  France  toward 
the  end  of  the  17th  century.  His  wife  followed  him  there 
since  our  parish  registers  nowhere  mention  her  burial. 

Father  Paul  du  Poisson,  Jesuit,  traveling  in  Louisiana  in 
the  summer  of  1727,  wrote  to  his  confère  father,  Louis  Pa- 
touillet:  "We  left  the  Chapitoulas  on  the  29th.  Although  a 
larger  canoe  had  been  sent  us,  and  in  spite  of  the  new  ar- 
rangement of  our  party,  we  had  almost  as  much  discomfort 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  17 

as  before.  We  had  only  two  miles  to  go  that  day  in  order 
that  we  might  spent  the  night  at  Cannes  Boulées,  at  the  house 
of  M.  de  Benac,  director  of  the  concession  of  M.  D'Artagnan. 
He  received  us  with  friendship  and  regaled  us  with  a  Mis- 
sissippi carp  which  weighed  thirty-five  pounds." 

Could  this  M.  de  Benac  who  received  so  well  the  mission- 
ary Jesuit  be  our  Benac?  At  all  events  we  have  no  trace  of 
M.  Benac  or  of  his  wife  after  their  departure  from  Canada. 

10 — Jean-Baptiste  Bissot  de  Vincennes. 

Known  by  the  name  Jean  ;  was  born  at  Quebec  January  19, 
1668.  He  was  an  officer  in  the  troops  of  the  detachment  of 
the  Marine  ;  and  died  among  the  Miamis  in  1719. 

M.  Bissot  de  Vincennes  married  at  Montreal,  September 
19,  1696,  Marguerite  Forestier,  daughter  of  Antoine  Forestier, 
surgeon,  and  of  Marie-Madeleine  Cavelier.  Madame  Bissot 
de  Vincennes  died  at  Montreal  September  27,  1748,  and  was 
buried  the  next  day  in  the  parish  church.  Of  the  marriage 
of  Jean  Baptiste  Bissot  and  Marguerite  Forestier  there  were 
born   seven   children  : 

(1)  Marie-Louise  Bissot  de  Vincennes — Born  at  Mon- 
treal June  20,  1697;  married  at  Quebec,  June  4,  1741,  to  Nico- 
las Boisseau,  chief  clerk  of  the  provost  of  Quebec,  widower 
of  Marie-Anne  Page  de  Quercy.  She  died  at  Quebec  June  14, 
1766.     M.  Boisseau  died  in  the  same  place  February  9,  1771. 

(2)  Claire-Charlotte  Bissot  de  Vincennes — Born  at  Que- 
bec May  6,  1698;  a  nun  of  the  congregation  of  Notre-Dame, 
under  the  name  of  Soeur  de  l'Ascension.  Died  at  Montreal 
April  25,  1773,  and  was  buried  on  the  27th  in  the  chapel  of 
the  Infant  Jesus  of  the  parish  church. 

(3)  François-Marie  Bissot  de  Vincennes — Born  at  Mon- 
treal June  17,  1700.  Officer  in  the  troops  of  the  detachment 
of  the  Marines.    Founder  of  the  post  of  Vincennes.     Burned 


18  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

to  death  by  the  Chicksaws  on  the  Mississippi*  on  the  25th  of 
March,  1736. 

He  had  married  in  1733  Longpré,  daughter  of 

Philippe  Longpré  of  Kaskaskia.  Of  this  marriage  were  born 
two  daughters,  Marie  Thérèse,  who  became  the  wife  of  M. 
de   LTsle  and  Catherine. 

(4)  Marguerite-Catherine  Bissot  de  Vincennes — Born  at 
Montreal  September  10,  1701.  Died  at  the  Hotel-Dieu  at 
Quebec  May  3,  1767,  and  was  buried  the  next  day  in  the  con- 
vent cemetery. 

(5)  Catherine  Bissot  de  Vincennes — Born  at  Montreal 
October  11,  1704.  Died  at  the  general  hospital  of  the  Gray- 
Sisters  at  Montreal  September  20,  1778,  and  was  buried  the 
22d  in  the  cemetery  near  the  parish  church. 

(6)  Michel  Bissot  de  Vincennes — Born  October,  1706. 
Died  at  Montreal  January  10,  1709. 

(7)  Pierre  Bissot  de  Vincennes — Born  at  Montreal  Au- 
gust 27,  1710.     Died  in  the  same  place  August  29,  1710. 

11 — Jeanne  Bissot. 

Born  at  Quebec  April  10,  1671.  Married  at  Quebec  April 
7,  1687,  to  Philippe  Clement  du  Valult  de  Valrennes,  captain  of 
a  company  of  the  troops  of  the  detachment  of  the  Marine, 
son  of  the  late  Antoine  C  du  V.  de  V.  and  of  Françoise  De 
Coeur  of  the  parish  of  Saint-Germain  de  la  Potherie,  bishopric 
of  Beauvais.  May  1,  1698,  M.  de  Valrennes,  weakened  in 
consequence  of  his  severe  campaigns,  obtained  his  discharge. 
He  left  for  France  with  his  wife  in  the  autumn  of  1698. 

Madame  de  Valrennes  was  still  living  in  1708,  since  on 
the  sixth  of  June  of  that  year  the  minister  wrote  to  M. 
l'Abbé  de  Mignon  to  ask  him  if  the  widow  Valrennes  whom 

*According  to  the  most  probable  opinion  M.  de  Vincennes  and  his 
companions  were  burned  near  Fulton  in  Lee  County,  Miss. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  19 

he  had  recommended  to  him  was  French  or  Canadian,  and  if 
she  was  of  noble   family. 

12 — Francois-Joseph  Bissot. 

Born  at  Quebec  May  19,  1673.  Married  at  Quebec  Febru- 
ary 4,  1698,  to  Marie  Lambert-Dumont,  daughter  of  the  late 
Eustache  Lambert-Dumont,  who  when  he  was  living  was  a 
citizen  and  merchant  of  Quebec,  and  of  Marie  Vanneck.  M. 
Bissot  died  at  Quebec  December  11,  1737,  and  was  buried 
the  next  day  in  the  parish  church  under  his  pew.  Madame 
Bissot  died  at  Quebec  May  3,  1745,  and  was  also  buried  in 
the  parish  church.  Of  their  marriage  there  were  born  nine 
children  : 

(1)  Louise-Claire  Bissot — Born  at  Quebec  June  23,  1701. 
Married  at  Quebec,  May  13,  1726,  to  Jean  Fournel,  son  of 
Jean  Fournel  and  of  Marthe  Crespin  of  the  parish  of  Saint 
Caparacy,  bishopric  of  Agen.  M.  and  Mme.  Fournel  died  in 
France. 

(2)  Charlotte  Bissot— Born  at  Quebec  April  30,  1704. 
Married  at  Quebec,  October  24,  1728,  to  Jacques  de  Lafon- 
taine  de  Belcour,  son  of  Jean  de  Lafontaine,  officer  of  the  king 
and  of  Bernardine  Jouin,  of  the  parish  of  Versailles.  She 
died  at  Quebec  November  21,  1749,  and  was  buried  the  next 
day  in  the  parish  church.  M.  de  Lafontaine  de  Belcour  died 
at  Quebec  June  18,  1765.  They  had  several  children.  A 
number  of  their  descendants  still  live  in  the  district  of  Quebec. 

(3)  François-Etienne  Bissot — Born  at  Quebec  May  26, 
1708.  Died  in  the  same  place  February  7,  1726.  Buried 
in  the  parish  cemetery. 

(4)  Jean  Bissot — Born  at  Quebec  November  30,  1711. 
Died  in  the  same  place  December  1,  1711.  Buried  in  the 
parish  cemetery. 

(5)  Joseph  Bissot — Born  at  Quebec  September  4,  1713. 


20  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

Died  at  Saint- Augustine  November  3,  1713.     Buried  in  the 
parish   cemetery. 

(6)  Marie  Bissot — Born  at  Mingan  December,  1715. 
Died  at  Quebec  August  18,  1720.  Buried  the  next  day  in 
the  parish  cemetery. 

(7)  Louise  Bissot — Born  at  Mingan  August,  1718.  Died 
at  Quebec  November  9,  1730.  Buried  the  next  day  in  the 
parish  cemetery. 

(8)  Angélique  Bissot — Born  at  Quebec  December  12, 
1719.  Married  at  Quebec,  September  17,  1737,  to  Jean  Bap- 
tiste Poitevin  de  la  Salmonais,  son  of  the  nobleman  Henri 
Poitevin-Desorme  and  of  the  late  Jeanne-Olive  Arsan,  of  the 
parish  of  Saint  Malo.  This  union  was  of  short  duration.  In 
the  autumn  of  the  same  year  1737  M.  Poitevin  de  la  Sal- 
monais set  sail  for  Martinique  on  the  ship  Le  Prudent,  com- 
manded by  Charles  Cotterelle  of  Maine.  He  died  in  the  course 
of  this  voyage.  Of  this  marriage  there  was  born  a  posthumous 
child,  Marie  Angélique  Poitevin  de  la  Salmonais,  born  at  Que- 
bec the  11th  of  July,  1738.  After  the  death  of  her  husband 
the  widow  Poitevin  went  to  France  to  obtain  the  allowance  of 
her  matrimonial  rights.  On  September  3,  1743,  by  the  inter- 
vention of  Jacques  de  La  fontaine,  her  brother-in-law,  she  de- 
manded from  the  Lieutenant  General  of  the  Provost  of  Que- 
bec to  call  together  an  assemblage  of  her  relatives  in  order  to 
select  from  among  them  a  guardian  and  to  allow  her  to  re- 
marry. The  assemblage  of  her  relatives  took  place  the  next 
day  and  the  widow  Poitevin  de  la  Salmonais  received  permis- 
sion to  marry  a  second  time  the  sieur  Alexander-Jean  Devaux, 
receiver  of  customs  at  Saint  Malo,  "or  with  any  other  who 
presented  himself  and  suited  her''.  In  1745  she  was  still  a 
widow  and  lived  at  Rouen. 

(9)  Marie-Charlotte  Bissot— Born  at  Mingan  March  4, 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  21 

1722.  Married  at  Quebec,  October  3,  1736,  Jean-Pierre-Fran- 
çois Vederic,  the  son  of  François  Vederic  and  of  Julie  Houet, 
of  the  parish  Notre-Dame  de  Havre  de  Grâce,  the  diocese  of 
Rouen. 

The  census  of  the  parish  of  Quebec  in  1744  shows  us 
that  François  Vederic  navigator,  thirty-five  years  old,  and  his 
wife  Marie  Bissot  lived  at  that  time  at  Quebec.  The  census 
gives  them  one  child,  Jacques  François,  seven  years  old.  We 
then  lose  sight  of  M.  Vederic.  The  widowed  Mme.  Vederic 
retired  to  the  convent  hospital  of  Quebec.  She  died  in  this 
hospital  June  7,  1772,  and  was  buried  the  next  day  in  the 
cemetery  of  the  nuns  of  the  convent. 

FRANCOIS  BISSOT  DE  LA  RIVIERE. 
(Grandfather  of   François-Marie   Bissot  de  Vincennes.) 

The  presence  of  François  Bissot,  sieur  de  la  Rivière,  is 
noticed  for  the  first  time  in  an  act  of  notary  of  1647.  He 
might  possibly  have  come  to  Canada  before  this  year.  Fer- 
land,  who  is  so  conscientious  an  investigator  that  one  rarely 
finds  him  at  fault,  gives  the  name  of  Bissot  in  a  list  of  colon- 
ists who  came  to  Canada  between  1641  and  1647,  without 
giving  precise  information  about  it.* 

François  Bissot  came  originally  from  Pont-Audemer,  a 
town  of  ancient  Normandy,  which  now  forms  part  of  the  de- 
partment de  l'Eure.  His  family  lived  in  the  parish  of  Notre- 
Dame  des  Prés.  They  were  of  good  bourgeois  stock,  since 
the  documents  of  the  period  speak  of  the  father  of  François 
Bissot,  Jean  Bissot,  sieur  du  Gommer,  as  "an  honorable  man." 

*M.  l'abbé  Ferland  is  mistaken.  Bissot  was  already  in  Quebec 
in  1639.  July  2,  1639,  he  was  present  when  the  Jesuits  took  posses- 
sion of  the  island  Aux  Ruaux.  See  the  Bulletin  des  Recherches  His- 
toriques, Vol.  II,  p.  88. 


22  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

Bissot  first  placed  his  estate  on  the  coast  of  Lauzon,  on 
point  Levy.  This  seigniory,  conceded  since  1636,  was  still 
wild  and  uncultivated.  The  exploration  which  Father  Druil- 
lettes  made  along  the  right  bank  of  the  St.  Lawrence  in  1646, 
in  going  up  the  river  from  the  falls  of  the  Chaudière  in  order 
to  get  to  New  England,  seems  to  have  given  the  fir^t  im- 
pulse toward  establishments  opposite  Quebec. 

The  first  house  was  built  on  Point-Levy  the  same  year 
that  Father  Druillettes  returned,  1647.  Bissot  had  gone  into 
partnership  with  one  of  his  Norman  compatriots,  the  fa- 
mous interpreter,  Guillaume  Couture,  to  begin  the  develop- 
ment of  his  land.  In  the  summer  of  1647  one  could  have 
seen  the  former  companion  of  Father  Jogues  wielding  the 
axe  in  the  midst  of  the  great  forests  which  then  covered  the 
coast.  By  autumn  he  had  felled  a  certain  number  of  trees 
and  finished  a  little  hut,  a  rustic  dwelling  made  of  roughly 
hewn  timber.  Bissot,  who  had  contributed  to  the  expense 
and  furnished  the  material  for  construction,  arranged  with 
Couture  to  pay  him  two  hundred  livres  for  his  work  and 
to  allow  him  possession  of  the  clearing  until  Michaelmas 
1648.  (Agreement  signed  November  4,  1647.  Greffe  Claude 
Lecoustre.) 

October  15,  1648,  Jean  de  Lauzon,  who  then  lived  in 
Paris,  granted  to  these  two  first  copyhold  tenants  the  regu- 
lar titles  of  concession.  The  estates  of  Bissot  and  of  Couture 
were  neighboring.  They  each  contained  two  hundred  sur- 
face acres,  five  acres  of  frontage  on  the  river  and  forty  acres 
of  depth  inland.  A  little  brook  which  flowed  headlong  into 
the  river  near  Indian  Cove  twenty  paces  from  the  station  of 
the  Intercolonial  separated  the  two  estates.  Couture  lived 
on  the  right  bank  of  the  brook  ;  Bissot  occupied  the  left.  The 
brook  was  held  in  common  by  the  two  colonists. 

Between  the  two   farms  a  road  eighteen   feet  wide  was 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  23 

to  run  toward  the  great  royal  road  projected  all  the  way 
to  the  river.  Jean  Bourdon,  engineer  and  surveyor,  had 
already  traced  its  limits  himself  in  1647.  Bissot  was  to  pay 
to  his  seignior  each  year  twelve  deniers  of  quit  rent  for  each 
acre  cultivated  and  changed  into  arable  land  or  into  meadow 
land,  and  to  send  to  the  fiscal  agent  at  Michaelmas  twenty- 
five  salted  and  well  seasoned  eels.  He  had  to  have  his  land 
tilled  within  three  years  under  penalty  of  revocation  of  the 
title.  On  his  side  the  seignior  reserved  the  right  of  repur- 
chase in  case  of  sale  according  to  the  custom  of  Normandy. 

Bissot  went  to  France  in  1649  and  returned  from  there 
in  July.  On  August  9,  1653,  Bissot  was  named  deputy  in 
the  syndic  body  of  Quebec  to  represent  there  the  post  of 
Lauzon.  The  seignior  of  Lauzon,  absent  from  the  country, 
could  not  fulfil  toward  his  tenants  the  obligations  which  the 
feudal  régime  imposed  upon  him.  Since  1655  Bissot  had 
had  a  mill  on  Point  Levy  where  the  colonists  could  bring 
their  grain  to  be  ground.  The  brook  which  separated  the 
estate  of  Bissot  from  that  of  Couture  turned  the  mill  stone. 
In  order  to  have  all  the  property  rights  of  this  stream  of 
water,  Bissot  arranged  with  Couture  that  he  would  grind 
his  grain  gratuitously  for  twenty  years. 

Bissot  de  la  Rivière,  while  he  was  clearing  his  land  on 
Point-Levy,  lived  most  of  the  time  in  Quebec.  In  the  cen- 
sus of  1667  one  finds  on  the  farm  at  Lauzon  three  servants  : 
Jean  Guay,  twenty-eight  years  old;  Martin  l'Enfilé,  twenty- 
nine  years  old;  Pierre  Perrot,  thirty-two  years  old. 

He  seems  to  have  wished  to  group  around  his  colonial 
estate  people  from  Normandy.  Guillaume  Couture,  with 
whom  he  had  originally  contracted  a  partnership  for  clear- 
ing the  land  was  Norman  like  himself  and  possessed,  in 
France,  land  situated  at  la  Haye-Aubraye,  fifteen  kilometres 
from  Pont-Audemer.     Among  the  compatriots  of  Bissot  set- 


24  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

tied  on  Point-Lévy  there  was  Louis  Begin,  the  ancestor  of 
Cardinal  Begin,  who  was  originally  from  Lieurey,  a  little 
parish  in  the  suburbs  of  Pont-Audemer.  François  Becquet, 
who  bought  a  piece  of  land  in  Lauzon,  April  6,  1660,  was  a 
nephew  of  François  Bissot.  He  came  from  Notre-Dame  des 
Préaux,  a  parish  situated  six  kilometres  from  Pont-Audemer. 
The  families  Lebieux,  Chartier,  Pourveau  came  likewise 
from  Normandy. 

A  letter  from  Governor  Jean  de  Lauzon,  dated  Paris, 
March  8,  1664,  gives  to  Bissot  a  new  concession  of  ten  acres 
of  land  fronting  along  the  river  St.  Lawrence  and  forty  in 
depth.  This  concession  touched  on  one  side  the  rives  des 
Etchemins  and  on  the  other  side  Jean  Adam.  It  took  in  all 
the  islands  situated  at  the  mouth  of  this  river  and  the  rights 
of  hunting  and  fishing.  M.  de  Lauzon  said  in  his  letter 
that  he  wished  in  this  way  to  recompense  Bissot  for  the  good 
services  which  he  had  rendered  to  the  people  of  the  seigniory. 

Bissot,  representing  the  tenants  of  Lauzon  in  the  syndic 
body,  had  indeed  renedered  them  considerable  service,  but 
the  family  of  Lauzon  owed  him  still  more  recognition.  For 
it  was  he  who  had  discharged  the  obligation  of  building  a 
common  mill,  since  the  seigniory,  sparsely  settled,  could  not 
yet  yield  a  sufficient  revenue  to  grind  its  own  grain.  He  took 
part  also  in  the  organization  of  seigniorial  justice.  He  was 
made  fiscal  agent  toward  the  end  of  1650  and  succeeded 
Charles  Sevestre  as  provost  judge.  Bissot  rilled  this  last 
office  until  his  death. 

After  the  death  of  the  governor  of  Lauzon  and  the  tragic 
disappearance  of  most  of  the  members  of  his  family,  he  took 
the  seigniory  by  farm-hold,  in  partnership  with  Eustache  Lam- 
bert, and  gave  himself  up  to  its  development.  In  1668,  when 
the  métropole  ordered  that  the  seignors  render  faith  and 
homage  and  make  the  avowal  and  enumeration  of  their  lands, 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  25 

Bissot  presented  himself  to  the  controller  and  demanded  allow- 
ance for  the  minors  of  the  Lauzon  family. 

In  the  autumn  of  1672,  November  2,  Bissot  obtained  in 
his  turn  a  seignioral  domain  in  the  neighborhood  of  Lauzon. 
This  property  consisting  of  seventy  acres  of  frontage  and  a 
mile  of  depth  was  bordered  on  the  east  by  the  seigniory  of 
Beaumont,  which  Talon  granted  on  the  same  day  to  Couillard 
des  Ilets  de  Beaumont.  It  is  this  seigniory  acquired  in  1672 
by  Bissot  which  has  since  carried  the  name  of  Vincennes. 
Bissot  began  clearing  in  1670.  November  24th  of  this  same 
year  he  sold  to  Jean  Poliqnin  four  acres  of  frontage  and 
forty  acres  of  depth  in  a  place  called  la  Petite-Pêche.  The 
brook  of  la  Petite-Pêche  crossed  the  ancient  domain  of  Vin- 
cennes, already  inhabited  by  the  family  Faucher  de  Saint- 
Maurice  and  had  for  a  long  time  turned  the  wheel  of  an 
old  community  mill  built  by  the  seignior  Joseph  Roy,  father- 
in-law  of  this  Corpron,  a  partner  of  Bigot,  who  stored  grain 
there  when  Quebec  suffered  a  most  dreadful  famine. 

Formerly  Pont-Audemer,  the  ancestral  town  of  Bissot, 
was  noted  for  its  maritime  fisheries,  and  its  fishers  had  no 
equal  in  the  salting  of  herring.  Bissot  all  the  time  he  was 
cultivating  his  lands  and  clearing  the  forests  of  Canada  wanted 
to  exploit  the  immense  resources  of  our  great  river.  In  the 
autumn  of  1630  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Simon  Guyon, 
Courville,  Lespinay,  de  Tilly  and  Godefroy  to  go  after  seals 
near  Tadoussac.  Beside  fishing  for  seals  the  partners  de- 
sired to  attract  the  savages  at  Tadoussac  and  to  trade  there 
in  beaver  skins.  Godefroy  went  to  France  to  obtain  the  right 
of  this  fishery  from  the  company  and  to  associate  M.  Rozée 
for  an  eighth  partner.  Courville,  Lespinay  and  Simon  Guyon 
had  made  a  voyage  on  the  Saguenay  in  the  month  of  October 
to   enter   into   an   alliance   with   the   savages,   and   they   had 


26  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

brought  back  from  this  first  excursion  about  three  hundred 
beaver  skins. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1663,  M.  d'Avaugour  leased  the 
trading  rights  of  Tadoussac  for  two  years  to  François  Bissot, 
la  Tesserie,  des  Cartes,  Le  Gardeur,  de  Tilly,  Desprès, 
Juchereau  de  la  Ferté,  Damours,  Charron,  Bourdon,  Juche- 
reau  de  Saint-Denis  (Judgments  et  Deliberations  du  Conseil 
Souverain,  t.  1.  p.  11),  but  this  lease  was  broken  in  the  Octo- 
ber following  by  M.  de  Mésy. 

Bissot,  seeing  the  kingdom  of  the  Saguenay  closed  to  him, 
directed  his  attention  toward  the  desert  regions  of  Labrador, 
where  up  to  this  time  only  the  Spaniards  in  company  with 
the  Basques  had  dared  to  fish. 

In  the  winter  of  1661,  on  February  25th,  Bissot  obtained 
from  the  Company  of  New  France  the  island  aux  Oeufs, 
situated  below  Tadoussac  toward  the  Pellean  mountains  of 
the  north  coast  about  forty  miles  from  Tadoussac,  with  the 
right  of  hunting  and  of  establishing  on  the  land  in  whatever 
place  he  would  find  most  convenient  still  fishing  for  seal, 
whales,  porpoises  and  other  kinds  of  fish  from  the  island  aux 
Oeufs  to  Sept-Iles  and  in  la  Grande-Anse,  in  the  country  of 
the  Esquimaux  where  the  Spaniards  were  still  fishing.  He 
obtained  at  the  same  time  the  right  to  take,  in  these  places, 
the  woods  and  the  land  necessary  to  establish  his  estate  there. 

It  is  this  island,  so  celebrated  for  the  shipwreck  of  the 
fleet  of  the  English  admiral  Walker,  on  which  Bissot  began 
to  put  down  the  foundations  of  his  first  establishment  for 
still  fishing.  It  is  nothing  but  a  sterile  rock,  barren  of  all 
vegetation,  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  long.  In  the  crevices 
of  the  granite  rocks  they  built  huts  for  the  fishers. 

Bissoa  had  first  established  himself  on  the  island  aux 
Oeufs  in  order  to  protect  his  property  from  the  incursions 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  27 

of  the  savage  Esquimaux,  the  fiercest  and  most  barbarous 
of  men.  Later  he  carried  his  settlement  to  the  extreme  end 
of  the  harbor  of  Mingan,  and  there  constructed  a  little  fort 
of  logs.  Bissot  directed  these  distant  developments  from 
Quebec.  Each  spring  his  ships  laden  with  outfits  for  fishing 
and  merchandise  for  trading  left  the  little  capitol,  and  only 
returned  once,  when  the  season  was  finished. 

During  the  year  1668  Bissot  began  a  tannery  on  Point- 
Levy,  on  the  land  which  he  had  obtained  in  1648  from  the 
seignior  de  Lauzon.  The  brook  which  was  the  border  line 
between  the  farms  of  Couture  and  of  Bissot  and  which  turned 
the  wheel  of  the  mill  was  damaged.  A  large  wooden  canal 
carried  the  water  from  it  and  took  it  to  the  tanning  vats.  The 
intendent  Talon  during  the  year  1668  increased  the  "denier" 
of  the  king  to  be  employed  in  the  construction  of  the  build- 
ings necessary  to  this  new  enterprise  to  a  sum  of  3,268  livres. 
This  advance  considerable  for  the  time  was  later  reimbursed 
in  large  part  by  the  Bissot  heirs. 

The  community  to  aid  Bissot  in  his  enterprise  lent  him 
besides  a  sum  of  1,500  livres  at  ten  per  cent,  interest.  This 
tannery,  the  first  which  one  could  have  seen  in  Canada,  had 
a  great  success.  Much  was  expected  of  it,  and  the  first  at- 
tempts succeeded  perfectly.  From  the  second  year  the  profits 
realized  surpassed  all  expectations. 

Bissot  had  set  going  three  projects  :  the  cultivation  of  the 
land,  fishing  and  the  making  of  leather.  All  three  kept  pace 
with  each  other,  and  Bissot  was  in  a  way  to  make  his  for- 
tune. The  little  hut  which  he  had  had  built  by  Couture  in 
the  autumn  of  1647  had  disappeared  long  ago  to  make  room 
for  a  long,  comfortable  house.  Beautiful  golden  harvests 
covered  the  meadows.  The  mill  wheel  turned  constantly  on 
the   little  babbling  brook.     The  land  produced   grain   as   if 


28  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

by  enchantment.  The  meadows  of  l'Etchemin  furnished  fer- 
tile pasturage.  Down  there  on  the  heights  of  Cape  Saint- 
Claude  the  seigniory  of  Vincennes  began  to  be  populated. 
Each  autumn  on  St.  Martins  day  there  was  brought  to  the 
great  white  house  hidden  under  the  elms  of  Point-Levy  fat 
capons,  eels  and  the  quit  rent  money.  The  road  which  led 
to  the  Bissot  dwelling  became  a  sort  of  bridge  d'Avignon 
where  everyone  had  to  pass  to  go  to  the  river  and  to  the 
town.     A  considerable  business  was  also  done  there. 

The  development  of  the  still  fishing  of  Labrador  went  mar- 
velously.  This  sort  of  industry  was  considered  one  of  as- 
sured profits.  Talon  wrote,  that  it  was  so,  to  the  king  in 
1671,  informing  him  of  the  success  of  Bissot.  The  seal  fishery 
exploited  by  Denis,  Bissot  and  Riverin  produced  enough 
oil  for  local  consumption  and  for  exportation  not  only  to 
France  but  to  the  Antilles.  Talon,  who  wished  to  establish 
favorable  relations  with  these  colonies,  sent  them  shipments 
of  fish,  of  peas,  of  clap  boards  and  of  planks. 

François  Bissot  de  la  Rivière  died  at  Quebec  on  Sainte 
Amies  day,  July  26,  1673.  He  was  buried  in  the  cemetery 
of  V  Hotel-Dieu.1 

CHARLES-FRANCOIS   BISSOT. 
(Uncle  of  François-Marie  Bissot  de  Vincennes.) 

Born  at  Quebec,  February  5,  1664,  of  the  marriage  of 
François  Bissot  de  la  Rivière  and  Marie  Couillard. 

On  November  3,  1672,  M.  Talon,  intendant,  granted  to 
François  Bissot  de  la  Rivière  for  his  sons  Jean  Baptiste  Bis- 
sot de  Vincennes  and  Charles-François  Bissot  (1),  a  fief  of 
seventy  acres  of  land  fronting  on  a  mile  of  depth  along  the 

i  J.   Edmond  Roy,  Francois  Bissot,    vein    de    la    Riviere,    pp.    31 
et  seq.  ; 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  29 

river  St.  Lawrence,  from  the  land  belonging  to  the  Sieur  de 
la  Citiere  to  the  land  not  yet  conceded.  This  formed  the 
fief  or  seigniory  of  Vincennes. 

On  May  16,  1689,  Charles-François  Bissot,  heir  to  an 
eighth  in  the  succession  from  his  father,  sold  to  Etienne 
Charest,  his  brother-in-law,  all  that  belonged  to  him  and  was 
to  revert  to  him  of  the  land,  buildings,  mills,  and  tannery  of 
Point-Levy.     This  sale  was  made  for  a  thousand  livres. 

On  March  5,  1694,  Charles-François  Bissot,  heir  to  an 
eighth  of  the  land  situated  on  the  river  of  the  Etchemins, 
sold  to  Pierre  Benac,  his  brother-in-law,  the  part  and  por- 
tion belonging  to  him  and  reverting  to  him  in  the  said  land 
of  the  river  of  the  Etchemins.  This  sale  was  made  for 
forty  livres.  M.  Benac  was,  however,  to  pay  the  seigniorial 
due  which  might  be  charged  to  the  said  portion. 

On  March  21,  1695,  Louis  Marchand,  part  seignior  of 
the  seigniories  of  Vincennes  and  Mingan,  granted  to  Charles- 
François  Bissot,  also  part  seignior  of  the  seigniory  of  Vin- 
cennes, dwelling  on  the  coast  of  Lauzon,  permission  to  carry 
on  trade,  traffic  and  business  in  the  land  and  seigniory  of 
Mingan  and  dependant  places  as  well  as  fishing  for  cod  and 
other  fish,  for  the  space  of  three  consecutive  years  beginning 
in  the  spring  of  1695,  and  also  for  all  the  time  that  the  said 
sieur  Marchand  should  be  absent  from  Quebec  in  the  country 
of  the  Ottawas,  where  he  intended  going  the  following  spring, 
in  case  that  he  should  stay  there  longer  than  the  said  three 
years.  In  return,  M.  Bissot  was  to  pay  him  for  each  year  a 
sum  of  fifty  livres. 

On  November  9,  1695,  Charles-François  Bissot,  François 
Joseph  Bissot,  Louis  Jolliet  and  Charles  Jolliet  formed  a  part- 
nership for  the  space  of  five  years  to  go  to  Mingan  and  carry 
on  business  on  the  property  of  the  late  Francois  Bissot  de 


30  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

la  Rivière  from  the  island  aux  Oeufs  to  the  Bay  des  Espag- 
nols. 

On  April  25,  1697,  Charles-François  Bissot  and  the  other 
heirs  of  François  Bissot  de  la  Rivière  leased  and  farmed  out 
the  seigniory  of  Mingan  to  Louis  Jolliet  for  five  years.  After 
the  death  of  Louis  Jolliet  in  1700  Charles-François  Bissot 
and  François-Joseph  Bissot  formed  a  partnership  with  the 
sons  of  the  discoverer  to  continue  the  enterprise  at  Mingan. 
In  1703  François  Hazeur  advanced  a  sum  of  four  thousand 
livres  to  the  partners  in  the  business  at  Mingan  to  load  the 
ship  Le  Rosaire  with  merchandise  necessary  for  their  busi- 
ness. 

On  May  9,  1705,  Charles-François  Bissot  and  Joseph  Guion 
du  Rouvray  formed  a  partnership  for  eighteen  months  to  ex- 
ploit at  a  common  profit  and  a  half  of  the  loss  or  profit  the 
fief  and  seigniory  of  Port  à  Choix  in  the  island  of  Newfound- 
land, belonging  to  M.  Hazeur,  councillor  in  the  Sovereign 
Council.  The  partners  were  to  carry  on  at  Port  à  Choix  traffic, 
trading  with  the  savages  and  commerce  in  fish. 

It  was  understood  that  Joseph  Guion  Rouvray  was  to 
spend  the  winter  at  Port  à  Choix  with  a  man  whom  M.  Bissot 
was  to  send  him  in  his  stead,  while  he  returned  with  their 
ship  to  Quebec  in  the  autumn  of  1705  and  to  return  in  the 
spring  of  1706.  Since  his  haste  and  the  lack  of  time  did  not 
allow  M.  Bissot  to  find  the  man  in  question,  it  was  under- 
stood that  Guion  de  Rouvray  should  spend  the  winter  alone 
at  Port  à  Choix  with  four  hired  men  and  a  young  boy.  As 
compensation  M.  Guion  de  Rouvray  was  to  be  paid  from  the 
whole  sum  before  it  was  divided  an  amount  which  should 
be  decided  by  two  of  their  friends. 

The  same  day  Charles-François  Bissot  and  Joseph  Guion 
de  Rouvray  acknowledged  that  they  owed  to  François  Bissot 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  31 

and  to  François  and  Jean  Jolliet  the  sum  of  300  livres  for 
the  freightage  of  the  merchandise,  victuals  and  tools  which 
they  had  loaded  on  the  ship  the  Saint  Rosaire  belonging  to 
them  and  sailing  to  Port  à  Choix.  It  was  understood  that 
the  Saint  Rosaire  was  to  touch  at  Mingan  on  the  way  to 
Port  à  Choix.  Charles  François  Bissot  was,  however,  to 
take  60  pounds  of  these  300  livres  to  recompense  himself  for 
the  pain  and  care  which  he  would  take  in  guiding  the  said 
ship. 

This  is  the  last  known  mention  of  Charles-François  Bissot. 
As  we  have  just  seen  he  ought  to  have  returned  from  Port 
à  Choix  in  the  spring  of  1706.  Did  he  die  during  this  voyage? 
We  are  led  to  believe  that  he  did,  since  on  March  30,  1708, 
his  brother  François-Joseph  Bissot  and  Joseph  Guion  de  Rouv- 
ray  formed  a  partnership  to  exploit  a  new  settlement  on  the 
island  of  Newfoundland.  His  name  does  not  figure  in  this 
partnership,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  since  1695  the  two  brothers 
had  always  been  associated  in  all  their  enterprises. 

JEAN-BAPTISTE   BISSOT    DE   VINCENNES 
(Father  of  François-Marie  Bissot  de  Vincennes.) 

Born  at  Quebec,  January  19,  1668,  of  the  marriage  of 
François  Bissot  de  la  Rivière  and  Marie  Couillard.  He  was 
baptized  the  21st  of  the  same  month  by  M.  Henry  de  Ber- 
nieres,  curé  de  Quebec.  His  godfather  was  M.  Jean  Talon, 
intendant  of  New  France,  and  his  godmother  Guillemette- 
Marie  Hébert,  widow  of  Guillaume  Couillard. 

On  November  3,  1672,  the  intendant  Talon  granted  to 
François  Bissot  de  la  Rivière  for  his  sons  Jean  Baptiste  Bissot 

de  Vincennes    (godson  of   M.  Talon)    and  Bissot, 

seventy  acres  of  land  frontage,  a  mile  of  depth  on  the  river 


32  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

St.  Lawrence  from  the  land  belonging  to  the  Sieur  de  la 
Citière  to  the  land  not  yet  conceded  in  fief  and  seigniory. 
This  is  the  fief  or  seigniory  of  Vincennes.  This  concession 
was  made  under  the  ordinary  conditions;  to  bring  faith  and 
homage  to  the  chateau  St.  Louis,  at  Quebec,  to  hold  or  cause 
to  be  held  faith  and  place,  to  preserve  the  oak  woods  suitable 
for  the  construction  of  vessels,  to  give  information  concern- 
ing the  mines  and  minerals  and  to  leave  open  roads  necessary 
for  passage,  etc.,  etc.,  M.  Talon  declared  that  he  granted  this 
seigniory  to  M.  Bissot  de  la  Rivière  to  give  to  his  son  Jean 
Baptiste  Bissot  de  Vincennes  and  Bissot  more  op- 
portunity for  establishing  themselves.* 

On  November  10,  1676,  Jean-Baptiste  Bissot  de  Vincennes 
entered  the  seminary  at  Quebec  to  pursue  his  education  there. 
The  archives  of  the  seminary  say  in  regard  to  him:  "not  being 
fit  for  the  ecclesiastical  state,  he  left  November  18,  1680." 
The  seminary  of  Quebec  was  obliged  to  sue  the  guardian  of 
the  young  Bissot  de  Vincennes  in  order  to  be  paid  the  price 
of  his  board  and  lodging.  October  19,  1682,  correcting  a 
judgment  of  the  Provost  of  Quebec,  the  Sovereign  Council  or- 
dered Louis  Jolliet,  guardian  of  Jean-Baptiste  Bissot  de  Vin- 
cennes to  pay  to  the  seminary  of  Quebec  two  years  and  a 
half  of  board  at  the  rate  of  230  livres  a  year  and  eighteen 
months  at  the  rate  of  150  livres  a  year. 

On  October  20,  1687,  Jean-Baptiste  Bissot  de  Vincennes 
showed  to  the  Sovereign  Council  that,  having  reached  the  age 
of  twenty  years,  and  being  on  the  point  of  going  to  France 
for  a  situation,  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  have  the  govern- 
ment of  his  own  property.  He  asked  them  to  grant  him  his 
letters  of  the  right  of  majority.  The  Sovereign  Council  or- 
dered immediately  the  relatives  of  the  young  Bissot,  paternal 

♦Pieces  et  Documents  Relatifs  a  La  Tenure  Seigneuriale,  p.  297. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  33 

as  well  as  maternal,  to  meet  before  the  lieutenant  general  of 
the  provost  court  to  decide  if  he  was  capable  of  controlling  and 
administering  his  property.* 

What  was  this  employment  that  Jean-  Baptiste  Bissot  de 
Vincennes  went  to  seek  in  France?  The  ambition  of  the  sons 
of  good  family  under  the  French  régime  was  to  serve  as  officers 
in  the  troops  of  the  detachment  of  marines.  In  1687  our  old 
friend  the  intendant  Talon  held  a  place  of  confidence  at  court. 
We  have  no  written  proof  of  it,  but  is  it  not  reasonable  to 
presume  that  the  young  Bissot  went  to  France  to  obtain  the 
high  influence  of  his  godfather  to  enter  the  army? 

On  October  25,  1694,  Jean-Baptiste  Bissot  sold  to  Louis 
Marchand  all  the  rights  which  he  might  have  in  the  land  and 
seigniory  of  Mingan,  not  only  his  share  in  his  father's  estate, 
the  late  François  Bissot  de  la  Rivière,  of  whom  he  was  an 
eighth  heir,  but  also  that  which  he  might  have  later  after  the 
death  of  his  mother,  plus  the  free  half  in  the  land  and  seigniory 
of  Vincennes.  This  sale  was  made  under  the  charge  of  rights 
and  duties  under  which  things  sold  could  be  charged  for  the 
future  and  the  price  of  2,500  livres  which  the  purchaser  Mar- 
chand promised  to  pay,  1,000  livres  in  one  year,  1,000  in  two 
years  and  500  in  three  years.* 

On  March  21,  1695,  Jean-Baptiste  Bissot  de  Vincennes, 
eighth  part  heir  in  the  succession  of  the  late  François  Bissot 
de  la  Rivière,  his  father,  sold  to  Etienne  Charest,  his  brother- 
in-law,   all   that  belonged   and   reverted  to  him   in   the   land, 

*  Jugements  Et  Deliberations  Du  Conseil  Souverain,  vol.  Ill,  p.  189. 

*Acte  tie  Chambalon,  October  25,  1694.  There  was  evidently  a 
subsequent  transaction  between  Louis  Marchand  and  Jean-Baptiste 
Bissot,  since  the  latter  remained  in  possession  of  the  seigniory  of 
Yineeuues,  and  since  15  years  later,  July  10,  1709,  he  sold  his  rights 
in  the  seigniory  of  Mingan  to  Francois  Bissonnet,  wig  maker  of 
Montreal. 


34  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

Lauzon.  M.  Bissot  de  Vincennes  reserved  for  himself  only 
buildings,  mill  and  tannery  of  Point  Levy  and  on  the  coast  of 
the  part  which  belonged  to  him  in  the  seven  islands  and  the 
land  along  the  river  of  the  Etchemins.  This  sale  was  made 
under  the  charge  of  the  quit  rent,  the  rents  and  the  seignioral 
rights  under  which  things  sold  could  be  charged  toward  the 
seignior  of  the  place,  and  to  acquit  the  seller  of  the  standing- 
debts  of  the  succession  of  his  father  that  could  be  claimed 
from  him.  M.  Charest  paid  him  moreover  a  sum  of  500 
livres.*  The   act  of   sale  called   M.   Jean-Baptiste  Bissot   de 

*Acte  de  Genaple,  21  Mars,  1695. 
Vincennes  "ensign  in  the  detachment  of  the  Marine  in  this 
country." 

In  1696  the  military  authorities  of  the  colony  gave  to  the 
minister  their  opinion  about  the  officers  who  served  in  the 
troops  of  the  detachment  of  the  Marine.  M.  de  Vincennes 
was  sub-ensign  and  the  postscript  "Good  Officer"  was  added 
to  his  name.f 

The  governor  of  Frontenac  had  always  been  of  the  opinion 
that  the  best  means  of  making  the  tribes  of  the  west  fight 
against  the  Iroquois  was  to  keep  up  garrisons  at  Michilima- 
kinac  and  at  the  posts  which  were  dependent  on  it.  He  wrote 
to  the  minister  if  these  garrisons  are  deserted,  it  will  be  im- 
possible to  control  these  tribes.  In  September,  1696,  the  am- 
bassadors of  the  different  tribes  of  the  west  met  M.  de  Fron- 
tenac at  Quebec.  He  spoke  to  the  delegates  of  each  one  of 
these  tribes  through  interpreters  and  dismissed  them  saying 
to  them:  "I  do  not  at  all  wish  that  you  should  return  to 
your  home  empty  handed.  Here  are  guns,  powder  and  balls 
which  I  give  you.  Make  good  use  of  them.  They  are  not  for 
slaying  beef  and  the  roe  buck,  but  they  are  to  kill  the  Iroquois 

fL'abbe  Daniel,  Aperçu  Sur  Quelques  Contemporains,  p.  44. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  35 

who  lack  much  more  than  you  powder  and  lead.  Remember 
that  there  is  nothing  but  war  which  can  make  true  men  note- 
worthy, and  war  it  is  which  brings  it  about  that  I  recognize 
you  by  your  name.  Nothing  pleases  me  so  much  as  to  see  the 
face  of  a  warrior.  This  is  what  I  give  you.  You  can  go 
when  you  will." 

Then  profiting  by  the  favorable  disposition  of  the  tribe,  a 
little  later  M.  de  Frontenac  sent  M.  d'Ailleboust  d'Argenteuill 
to  Michilimakinac  and  M.  de  Vincennes  to  the  Miamis.  The 
latter  was  to  command  the  latter  post.*  M.  de  Vincennes 
received  thus  his  first  command,  but  it  is  evident  that  he  had 
already  made  several  journeys  among  the  Miamis  and  that 
he  had  even  lived  for  a  time  among  them. 

On  November  14,  1704,  M.  de  Ramezay,  governor  of  Mon- 
treal, wrote  to  minister  Pontchartrain  :  ''There  is  reason  to 
presume  that  the  Sr.  de  Vincennes,  petty  officer,  who  was 
sent  this  summer  to  the  Miamis  by  way  of  the  Detroit  river 
with  three  canoes  laden  with  merchandise  and  brandy  under 
the  pretext  of  going  to  patch  up  the  quarrels  of  the  savages, 
and  of  others  there  which  had  been  settled  by  M.  de  la  Mothe, 
spoke  of  the  same  disorders.  Whereas  Sr.  Rabiston,  who 
descended  from  Detroit  with  fifteen  men  met  the  said  Sr.  de 
Vincennes  ten  miles  from  Montreal,  and  who  on  his  arrival 
informed  M.  de  Vaudreuil  that  he  carried  more  than  four 
hundred  jugs  of  brandy,  of  which  he  made  a  great  boast.  It 
would  have  been  easy  to  remedy  this  if  the  Sr.  de  Vincennes 
had  exceded  his  orders.  He  only  had  to  send  a  canoe  to  look 
for  him  which  could  have  reached  him  in  a  day  since  the  Sr. 
de  Vincennes  was  at  the  bottom  of  a  cedar-covered  hill,  where 
it  was  necessary  to  make  portages  of  everything  that  was  in 

*De  la  Potherie,  Histoire  De  L'Amérique  Septentrionale,  Vol.  Ill, 
p.  309. 


36  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

the  canoes,  which  brought  it  about  that  he  could  not  advance. 
But  instead  of  going  to  the  source  to  prevent  his  wrong  doing 
he  contended  himself  by  feigning  to  be  very  angry.  Since 
this  affair  caused  much  comment  he  said  publicly  that  he 
would  have  him  punished  on  his  return.  You  will  notice. 
Monseigneur,  if  you  please,  that  brandy  sells  at  Michilimakinac 
for  forty  and  fifty  francs  a  jug;  Vincennes  would  therefore 
thus  have  gained  20,000  livres  or  10,000  ecus.  He  ran  little 
risk  of  losing  his  rank  of  petty  officer  in  a  place  where  little 
was  heard  of  the  court.  Since  M.  de  Vaudreuil's  adminis- 
tration may  be  extremely  prejudicial  to  the  colony  it  is  none 
the  less  so  for  the  government.  One  might  almost  say  that 
there  will  be  no  more  peace.  The  Jesuits  have  re  found  their 
kingdom.* 

On  November  14,  1704,  M.  de  Lamothe-Cadillac  sent  to 
Minister  Pontchartrain  a  memoir  on  the  establishment  of  De- 
troit. Lamothe-Cadillac  used  the  method  of  question  and  an- 
swer. The  minister  was  supposed  to  inquire  and  Lamothe- 
Cadillac  replied.  In  spite  of  its  interest  this  memoir  is  too 
long  to  be  reproduced  here  in  its  entirety.  We  will  content 
ourselves  in  taking  out  of  it  the  passages  which  relate  to  M. 
de  Vincennes. 

"Answer.  It  is  easy  to  see,  Monseigneur,  that  you  wish 
to  be  instructed.  I  admire  your  patience  which  never  tires 
concerning  that  which  relates  to  the  service  of  the  king.  If 
that  which  I  have  had  the  honor  to  relate  to  you  merits 
any  attention  the  things  of  which  you  are  about  to  be  in- 
formed deserve  all  your  attention.  This  now  is  the  very 
plan  which  has  been  made  to  destroy  Detroit,  however  I  would 
not  dare  go  on  if  you  did  not  order  me  to  do  it. 

"Question.     You  may  do  it  and  count  on  my  protection 

♦Archives  du  Canada.  Correspondence  Générale,  Vol.  22. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  37 

provided  only  that  you  make  no  false  accusation  and  do  not 
alter  the  truth  in  any  respect. 

"Answer.  I  never  depart  from  that  principle.  I  have 
never  had  any  patron  saint  other  than  the  truth  itself,  and 
I  have  such  great  confidence  in  her  that  I  believe  myself  in- 
vincible as  long  as  I  fight  under  her  standards.  I  am  about 
then  to  expose  to  you  the  facts  on  which  you  can  draw  what- 
ever conclusions  please  you.     The  public  has  drawn  its  own." 

Then  M.  de  Lamothe-Cadillac  speaks  of  M.  de  Tonty,  of 
M.  d'Ailleboust  de  Manthet  and  of  M.  de  la  Découvert.  He 
then  goes  on  to  M.  de  Vincennes. 

"The  fourth  case  is  that  the  Sieur  de  Vincennes  was  sent 
to  the  Miamis  with  an  order  to  go  to  Detroit,  being  sent 
to  Sr.  de  Tonty,  the  said  Sr.  de  Vincennes  having  three  canoes 
laden  with  merchandise  and  more  than  four  hundred  jugs  of 
brandy,  under  the  pretext  of  going  to  terminate  the  war  begun 
by  the  Miamis-Ouyatatanon  against  the  nations  settled  at  De- 
troit and  against  the  Iroquois.  Observation  on  the  fourth 
act. 

This  quarrel  being  settled  both  M.  the  Governor  General 
and  the  intendant  were  informed  that  it  was  not  natural  to 
send  ensigns  to  settle  the  differences  between  nations  in  a 
post  where  there  was  a  commandant  named  by  the  court.  That 
is  why,  there  being  a  question  about  the  sending  of  Sr.  de 
Vincennes,  he  told  me  that  M  the  Governor  General  had  his 
share  in  the  merchandise  which  he  was  carrying.  I  declared 
to  him  as  I  talked  to  him  that  he  had  replied  to  me  that 
he  would  discharge  him  because  he  had  not  permitted  him 
to  take  more  than  two  canoes. 

The  twelfth  fact  is  that  the  Sr.  de  Vincennes  was  actually 
at  Detroit  with  four  hundred  jugs  of  brandy  where  he  had 
a  cabaret,  having  been  the  precursor  of  M.  de  Louvigny,  major 


38  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

of  Quebec,  brother-in-law  of  de  Lino  superintendent  de  Nolan, 
a  dishonest  clerk,  a  relative  of  Chatellereau,  another  clerk  of 
Detroit  and  the  Cr.  de  Louvigny  who  was  himself  convicted 
of  having  disobeyed  the  order  of  the  king  by  an  arrest  of 
the  council.  The  said  Sr.  de  Vincennes  has  also  been  pre- 
cursor of  Sr.  Vincelot  a  sub-delegate  of  M.  l'lntendent,  who 
informed  me  that  in  spite  of  my  order  not  only  had  brandy 
not  been  spared  to  corrupt  the  savages  but  they  had  not  done 
what  they  had  been  desired  to  do.  This  pretended  sub-dele- 
gate was  a  first  cousin  of  Seignior  Pinaud  who  is  my  partner 
and  belonging  to  a  race  of  which  I  have  already  spoken.* 

November  16,  1704,  M.  de  Vaudreuil  wrote  to  Minister 
Pontchartrain  :  "I  know  Mgr.  that  your  intention  and  the 
welfare  of  the  service  of  the  king  demands  that  neutrality 
with  the  Iroquois  nations  be  maintained  as  much  as  is  pos- 
sible. I  dare  moreover  to  assure  you  that  I  give  to  it  every 
care,  and  that  I  moreover  dare  to  hope  to  succeed  in  spite  of 
all  the  efforts  which  the  English  are  making  to  embroil  them 
with  us,  having  found  the  secret  of  persuading  the  upper 
nations,  our  allies,  to  begin  war  with  them  in  order  to  oblige 
us  to  declare  ourselves  and  to  take  part.  Since  this  affair  is 
of  the  utmost  importance,  we  have  believed,  Sr.  de  Beauhar- 
nois  and  I,  that  we  ought  not  to  neglect  anything  which  would 
arrest  the  consequences  of  it,  and  following  this  plan  we  have 
had  the  honor  to  inform  you  in  our  common  letter  that  we 
sent  Sr.  Vaillant  and  Sr.  de  Jonquaire  to  the  Sonnontouans, 
and  that  I  sent  Sr.  Vincennes  to  the  Miamis,  to  whom  I  gave 
my  orders  and  speeches  to  make  to  them  for  me.  Sr.  de 
Vincennes  was  formerly  commandant  among  the  Miamis  by 

^Archives  du  Canada,  Correspondance  générale,  vol  22;  O'Cal- 
laghan,  Documents  Relative  to  the  Colonial  History  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  vol.  IX,  p.  759. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  39 

whom  he  was  very  much  loved  ;  for  this  reason  I  chose  him 
in  preference  to  another  to  make  this  nation  realize  the  wrong 
they  had  done  in  attacking  the  Iroquois,  our  allies  and  theirs, 
without  any  other  object.  We  permitted,  Sr.  de  Beauharnois 
and  I,  the  Sr.  de  Vincennes  to  take  with  him  certain  goods 
and  six  men  and  two  canoes  to  make  more  speed. 

Sr.  de  Lamothe  coming  from  Detroit  informed  us  that 
he  had  met  Sr.  de  Vincennes  with  three  canoes  and  two  men 
in  addition.  This  disobedience  to  the  orders  which  I  had 
given  him  made  me  decide  immediately  to  punish  him,  and 
since  he  is  a  petty  officer  in  the  troops  I  resolved  to  discharge 
him,  and  even  asked  M.  the  intendant  to  obtain  some  infor- 
mation on  the  advice  which  had  been  given  us.  I  still  re- 
main Mgr.,  of  this  opinion,  if  the  generous  action  which  he 
has  just  done  in  Detroit  and  of  which  we  told  you  in  our 
letter  does  not  oblige  me  to  write  to  you  in  his  favor  and 
demand  grace  for  him." 

Speech  of  the  Marquis  de  Vaudreuil  sent  to  the  Miamis 
of  the  river  St.  Joseph  through  the  agency  of  M.  de  Vin- 
cennes : 

"1.  I  arrive  here,  my  brothers,  to  represent  your  father, 
to  tell  you  that  he  is  surprised  that  the  Miamis,  whom  he  re- 
garded as  the  most  obedient  of  his  children,  have  disobeyed 
his  orders.  Tell  me  then,  are  you  drunk;  have  you  lost  your 
mind? 

"Ought  you  roi  to  remember  what  we  said  when  we  made 
a  general  peace  with  all  the  nations,  that  in  the  future  you 
would  hunt  peaceably,  and  that  you  would  take  the  Iroquois 
for  your  brothers,  and  that  you  would  have  but  one  fire,  one 
dish,  one  belt,  one  knife,  and  that  you  would  drink  together 
the  same  soup  every  time  that  you  met?  You  have  however 
broken  your  word  ;  you  have  reddened  the  earth  with  the  blood 


40  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

of  the  Iroquois.  I  come  then  to  demand  of  you  why  you  have 
broken  your  word,  since  he  received  you  so  well  last  winter  in 
his  hunting  cabins. 

"2.  I  know,  my  brothers,  that  you  received  the  first  blow, 
but  you  knew  well  enough  that  it  was  not  the  Iroquois  who 
had  struck,  but  those  brothers  of  the  wolves,  the  English, 
and  when  the  Iroquois  had  struck  you  you  ought  to  have  come 
to  complain  as  you  had  all  decided.  You  ought  to  have  imi- 
tated the  Iroquois  who  allowed  themselves  to  be  struck  by 
you  without  defending  themselves,  and  were  content  to  carry 
their  complaint  to  their  father  Onontio. 

"3.  I  come  to  bring  back  to  you  the  mind  which  you  have 
lost  and  to  show  you  your  own  interests.  In  order  to  ap- 
pease your  father,  begin  by  sending  me  instantly  all  the  Iro- 
quois prisoners  which  are  with  your  nation,  and  above  all 
those  which  were  taken  last  winter. 

"4.  Take  also  the  necessary  measures  to  satisfy  your 
brother  the  Iroquois.  He  has  a  right  to  complain  of  you, 
and  you  know  well  enough  the  wrong  which  you  have  done. 
Do  it  in  such  a  way  that  I  may  hear  no  more  talk  about  it, 
because  I  cannot  be  prevented  from  executing  the  terms  of 
the  peace  which  you  ought  to  remember.  Reflect  on  this 
speech."* 

Nov.  17,  1704,  MM.  de  Vaudreuil  and  de  Beauharnois 
wrote  to  Minister  Pontchartrain  :  "The  neutrality  of  the  Iro- 
quois being,  Mgr.,  the  subject  in  this  country,  to  which  we 
ought  to  give  the  closest  attention,  in  order  to  preserve  tran- 
quility, we  have  believed  that  we  ought  to  neglect  nothing 
in  order  to  content  these  nations  and  to  hold  them  in  our 
interest.  Since  the  Tsonnontouans  seemed  to  us  the  most  de- 
voted to  the  French  we  judged  it  fitting  to  send  to  them  Sr. 

*  Archives  du  Canada,  Correspondance,  générale,  vol.  22. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  41 

de  Jonquaire  and  Father  Vaillant.  Sr.  de  Vaudreuil  detached 
Sr.  de  Vincennes,  officer,  who  had  formerly  been  in  command 
of  the  Miamis,  and  by  whom  he  was  still  loved,  to  find  out 
the  reasons  they  had  had  for  attacking  the  Tsonnontouans,  our 
allies  and  theirs,  and  to  make  them  give  to  the  latter  the  satis- 
faction which  was  their  due.     *     *     * 

"Sr.  Tonty,  Mgr.,  who  is  in  command  at  Detroit  in  the 
absence  of  Sr.  de  Lamothe,  advised  us  four  days  ago  that  a 
Ottawa  chief  named  Campanie  who  had  taken  out  the  party 
against  the  Iroquois  at  Missilimakinac  and  who  had  made  the 
prisoners  which  he  had  taken  from  the  Iroquois,  and  that 
attack  on  Fort  Frontenac  had  passed  his  fort  with  six 
he  had  even  had  the  effrontery  to  give  the  death-cry  outside 
the  fort  with  the  apparent  design  of  causing  the  savages  who 
are  of  his  nation  to  declare  themselves  for  him.  Sr.  de 
Tonty  realizing  the  slight  which  he  was  putting  the  French 
by  this  action,  and  knowing  moreover  our  intentions  judged 
it  proper,  Mgr.,  to  send  Sr.  de  Vincennes  to  this  savage,  the 
same  man  whom  Sr.  de  Vaudreuil  had  detached  to  go  to  the 
Miamis  in  order  to  settle  the  war  which  had  just  been 
kindled  between  these  two  nations.  He  at  the  head  of  twenty 
Frenchmen  brought  back  four  of  their  prisoners,  although 
almost  thirty  Ottawas  from  the  fort  had  gone  there  to  take 
the  part  of  their  people.  Sr.  de  Tonty  received  the  two  others 
the  next  day  and  this  affair  was  more  advantageous  to  us 
because  without  counting  our  obligations  to  the  Iroquois  it 
made  all  the  nations  realize  that  we  could  not  allow  anyone 
to  mistreat  our  allies  in  our  presence.  In  addition  to  the 
fact  that  at  the  same  time  there  were  at  Detroit  some  Miamis 
who  had  come  to  take  back  three  of  their  prisoners,  as  the 
Sr.  de  Vaudreuil  had  commanded  them,  and  to  whom  it  was 
of  consequence  to  make  known  that  they  were  not  the  only 
ones  whom  we  obliged  to  make  satisfaction. 


42  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

"The  action  of  the  Sr.  de  Vincennes  seems  so  fine  that 
in  spite  of  the  advice  which  had  been  given  to  Sr.  de  Vau- 
dreuil  and  de  Beauharnois  that  he  had  disobeyed  the  orders 
written  in  his  pass-port,  and  concerning  whom  Sr.  de  Vau- 
dreuil  had  begged  Sr.  de  Beauharnois  to  get  information  be- 
fore forming  himself  the  resolution  to  take  from  him  on  his 
return  the  rank  of  petty  officer  which  had  been  bestowed  upon 
him.  They  could  not  but  see  the  need  they  had  of  him  on 
account  of  the  influence  which  he  had  over  the  minds  of  the 
savage  Miamis,  the  services  which  he  had  rendered  and  the 
deed  which  he  had  just  done.  They  must  show  you,  Mgr., 
that  they  hope  that  you  will  approve  their  intention  of  pardon- 
ing him." 

October  19,  1705,  Governor  de  Vaudreuil  wrote  to  the 
minister:  "I  had  the  honor  last  year  of  bringing  to  your 
attention  the  fact  that  I  regarded  the  continuation  of  peace  with 
the  Iroquois  as  the  principal  affair  of  this  country,  and  since 
it  is  on  this  principle  that  I  have  always  worked,  it  is  also 
this  which  obliged  me  to  send  Sr.  Jonquaire  to  the  Tsonnon- 
touans,  Sr.  de  Vincennes  to  the  Miamis,  and  which  obliged 
me  last  spring  to  send  Sr.  de  Louvigny  to  Missilimakinac  to 
bring  back  from  there  prisoners  which  these  savages  had  taken 
from  the  Iroquois  at  Fort  Frontenac  in  the  autumn.     *     *     * 

"The  Iroquois  chiefs  arrived  at  Montreal  about  the  be- 
ginning of  August  and  staid  there  until  the  14th,  when,  having 
no  news,  I  resolved  to  send  them  away  and  to  send  them  back 
their  prisoners  for  this  purpose.     *     *     * 

"The  Iroquois  started  to  return  to  their  country  when  Sr. 
de  Vincennes  arrived  and  told  me  that  he  had  come  down 
with  one  of  the  chiefs  of  Missilimakinac  who  was  sending 
him  ahead  to  find  out  if  they  could  appear  before  me  in  order 
that  they  might  confess  their   shortcomings,   and   detail  the 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  43 

manner  in  which  they  pretended  to  give  satisfaction  to  the  Iro- 
quois. The  speeches  of  the  one  and  the  others  with  my  reply 
will  give  you  information  of  all  that  passed  at  Montreal  dur- 
ing their  stay  until  they  went  away  entirely  content,  after  I 
had  given  them  all  a  banquet  to  renew  their  ancient  alliance. 
It  gave  me  indeed  a  veritable  satisfaction  to  have  accomplished 
your  orders." 

June  9,  1705,  the  minister  blamed  M.  de  Vaudreuil  severely 
for  having  sent  M.  de  Vincennes  among  the  Miamis  and  M. 
de  Louvigny  to  Missilimakinac,  since  both  of  them  carried  on 
commerce  openly.  M.  de  Louvigny,  said  the  minister,  had 
been  punished,  and  M.  de  Vincennes  ought  to  be  likewise.  Far 
from  doing  it  they  had  kept  in  a  dungeon  for  six  months  the 
man  named  Neveu,  who  had  denounced  him.* 

June  17,  1705,  the  king  had  a  letter  written  to  M.  de  Vau- 
dreuil: "His  majesty  has  seen  what  he  has  written  on  the 
subject  of  the  Sr.  de  Vincennes.  His  majesty  desires  that 
in  consideration  of  the  good  action  which  he  has  done  in 
rescuing  the  Iroquois  from  the  hands  of  the  Ottawas  who 
had  taken  them  prisoner,  that  they  pardon  the  offense  which 
he  committed  in  carrying  brandy  in  defiance  of  Sr.  de  Vau- 
dreuil on  the  voyage  which  he  had  made  at  his  orders  to  the 
Miami.  " 

June  9,  1706,  Minister  de  Pontchartrain  wrote  to  M.  de 
Vaudreuil  :  "The  acknowledgment  which  you  make  of  hav- 
ing permitted  Srs.  de  Manthet,  de  la  Découverte  and  Vin- 
cennes to  take  with  them  some  merchandise  on  the  voyages 
which  they  gave  made  for  you  in  the  upper  country  is  suffi- 
cient to  have  given  reason  to  the  belief  that  they  have  carried 
on  commerce,  above  all,  the  said  Sr.  de  la  Découverte,  who  is 

*Edouard  Richard,  Supplement  du  Rapport  du  Dr.  Bryinner  sur 
les  Archives  Canadiennes,  1899,  p.  375. 


44  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

an  arrant  traitor.  Therefore,  I  beg  of  you  to  refrain  as  much 
as  you  can  from  sending  him  into  this  country,  since  the  ser- 
vice demands  absolutely  that  you  choose  for  sending  there 
people  of  whose  fidelity  you  are  sure." 

June  30,  1707,  Minister  Pontchartrain  finding  that  without 
doubt  M.  de  Vincennes  had  been  sufficiently  punished,  wrote 
to  M.  de  Vaudreuil  to  reestablish  him  in  his  duties  :  "I  have 
seen  that  to  which  you  call  my  attention  in  relation  to  the 
subject  of  the  commerce  which  it  is  pretended  that  the  Srs. 
de  Louvigny  and  de  Vincennes  have  carried  on  among  the 
Miamis  and  the  Missillimakinacs.  I  hope  that  what  I  have 
written  to  you  about  it  will  cause  you  to  give  more  attention 
to  the  conduct  of  those  whom  you  send  to  distant  posts,  and 
that  his  majesty  will  receive  no  more  complaints  about  their 
trading.  His  majesty  desires  that  you  restablish  Vincennes  in 
his  duties  of  petty  ensign  which  you  have  taken  away  from 
him.* 

July  10,  1709,  Jean-Baptiste  Bissot  de  Vincennes  sold  ta 
François  Bissonnet,  merchant  wig  maker,  living  at  Montreal, 
the  part  and  contingent  portions  reverting  to  him  in  the  en- 
tire extent  of  the  concession  belonging  to  his  father  and  mother 
situated  on  the  river  St.  Lawrence,  from  l'Ile  aux  Oeufs  to 
Blanc-Sablons,  with  all  the  islands  of  Mingan  and  others  con- 
tained in  all  of  the  said  extent.  This  sale  was  made  under  the 
charges  and  reversions  which  this  portion  of  the  concession 
could  owe  to  the  king  at  each  change  of  ownership,  and  for 
the  sum  of  150  livres. 

In  1712  the  Foxes  formed  a  plot  with  the  Five  Nations 
and  the  English  to  drive  the  French  from  Detroit.  The  Mas- 
coutins  and  Kikapous  were  also  of  the  party.  M.  de  Du  Buis- 
son commanded  at  Detroit  replacing  M.  de  La  Forest,  suc- 
cessor to  M.  Lamonthe-Cadillac,  retained  at  Quebec.  This 
^Archives  du  Canada,  Série  B.  29,  1. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  45 

officer  was  brave  and  experienced,  but  he  had  under  his  order 
only  thirty  French  ;  and  to  crown  the  disaster,  the  Ottawas 
and  the  Hurons,  their  intimate  friends  at  Detroit,  had  not 
yet  returned  from  their  hunting  expedition.  The  situation  was 
critical.  On  May  13,  1712,  M.  de  Vincennes  arrived  at  De- 
troit from  among  the  Miamis.  He  wras  a  powerful  aid  to 
M.  Du  Buisson.  The  two  brave  officers  conquered  the  Foxes, 
but  after  much  weariness  and  prodigies  of  valor  on  the  part 
of  the  little  garrison  under  their  orders.  In  a  letter  dated  De- 
troit, June  15,  1712,  M.  Du  Buisson  relates  the  whole  event 
to  M.  de  Vaudreuil. 

"As  I  have  believed  that  it  was  of  great  consequence  to 
inform  you  of  the  state  of  this  post,  by  a  canoe,  as  quickly  as 
possible.  I  have  requested  M.  de  Vincennes  to  make  this 
voyage,  having  assured  him  that  this  would  be  pleasing  to 
you,  persuaded,  as  I  am  Mgr.,  that  you  are  very  solicitous  to 
know  what  goes  on  here.  The  fatigue  I  undergo  day  and 
night  in  consequence  of  the  public  and  private  councils  that 
I  hold  with  the  Indians  preventing  me  from  sending  you  a 
detailed  account  of  all  the  circumstances.  M.  de  Vincennes  has 
promised  to  forget  nothing  which  has  passed  in  order  to  com- 
municate it  all  to  you. 

"The  destruction  of  two  Mascoutin  and  Outagamie  villages 
is  one  of  the  principal  reasons  wThich  induces  me  to  send  this 
canoe.  God  has  permitted  these  two  audacious  nations  to 
perish.  They  had  received  many  presents  and  some  belts 
from  the  English  to  destroy  the  post  of  Fort  Pontchartrain, 
to  cut  our  throats  and  those  of  some  of  our  allies,  oi  whom 
the  Hurons  and  Ottawas  lived  on  the  Detroit  river.  Then 
these  wretches  were  to  go  back  among  the  English  and  to  de- 
vote themselves  to  them  in  order  to  continually  to  do  harm. 
It  is  said  that  the  band  of  Ouinetouan  and  that  of  Makate- 


46  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

mangouas  have  been  received  among  the  Iroquais  and  have 
established  a  village  among  them.  This  information  has  been 
brought  by  three  canoes  of  Ottagamies  who  have  been  defeat- 
ed by  the  Chippeways,  within  four  leagues  of  this  post.  I 
fear  much  for  the  safety  of  M.  de  Laforest,  because  being 
no  doubt  upon  his  march  to  this  place,  he  may  fall  in  with 
some  of  these  bands  of  the  hostile  Ottagamies  who  have  joined 
the  Iroquois.  The  band  of  the  great  chief,  Lamyma  and  that 
of  the  grand  chief  Pemoussa  came  early  in  the  spring  and 
encamped,  in  spite  of  my  opposition,  about  fifty  paces  from 
my  fort,  never  willing  to  listen  to  me,  speaking  always  with 
much  insolence  and  calling  themselves  the  masters  of  all  this 
country.  It  was  necessary  for  me  to  be  very  mild  having  as 
you  know,  M.,  but  thirty  Frenchmen  with  me,  and  wishing 
to  keep  with  me  eight  of  the  Miamis  who  were  with  M.  de 
Vincennes,  and  also  to  sow  our  grain  and  pasture  our  cattle. 
Besides,  the  Ottawas  and  Hurons  had  not  come  in  from  their 
winter  hunt.  I  was  thus  exposed  every  day  to  a  million  in- 
sults. The  fowls,  pigeons  and  other  animals  belonging  to  the 
French  were  killed  without  their  daring  to  say  a  word,  and  for 
myself  I  was  in  no  condition  openly  to  declare  my  intentions. 
One  of  them  entered  my  fort  to  stab  one  of  the  inhabitants 
named  la  Jeunesse  and  a  grown  daughter  of  Roy,  another  in- 
habitant. I  could  then  no  longer  restrain  myself,  but  took 
arms  to  prevent  their  accomplishing  their  wicked  intention. 
I  compelled  them  to  retire  immedately,  in  order  not  to  give 
them  time  to  increase  their  party,  since  they  also  were  wait- 
ing for  the  Kickapoos,  their  allies,  that  they  might  together 
execute  their  nefarious  project  and  be  strong  enough  to  retire, 
fearing  nothing,  to  the  English  and  Iroquois.  These  wretches 
waited  but  for  a  favorable  moment  to  set  fire  to  the  fort  and 
to  over-power  us.     It  was  an  entirely  different  matter  when 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  47 

they  learned  that  the  Mascoutins  who  had  wintered  on  the 
headwaters  of  the  St.  Joseph  had  been  killed,  to  the  number 
of  150  souls,  mens,  women  and  children,  by  Saguisma,  a  war 
chief  of  the  Ottowas  and  Pottawatamies.  They  immediately 
determined  to  set  fire  to  an  Ottawa  cabin  which  was  near  the 
gate  of  my  fort.  I  was  informed  of  their  intention  by  an 
Ottagami  Indian  named  Joseph,  who  long  since  left  his  people 
and  devoted  himself  entirely  to  the  French.  It  was  from  him 
I  learned  all  that  passed  in  the  village  of  the  Ottagamies  and 
the  Mascoutins.  He  had  the  honor  to  be  presented  to  you, 
M.,  last  year  at  Montreal.  He  informed  me  also  that  I  was  to 
be  burned  in  my  own  fort,  and  I  immediately  sent  a  French 
canoe  to  the  winter  hunting  ground  of  the  Ottawas  and  the 
Hurons  to  request  them  to  hasten  and  come  to  join  me.  I 
sent  also  another  canoe  to  the  other  side  of  the  lake  to  invite 
the  Chippaways,  the  Mississagues  and  the  Amiquois  to  join 
my  party. 

The  church  and  M.  Mallet's  house  were  outside  the  fort, 
and  all  the  grain  supply  of  our  savages  was  stored  there.  The 
contrary  winds  which  blew  all  the  time  prevented  all  the  sav- 
ages who  were  our  allies  from  arriving,  which  troubled  me 
much,  as  I  felt  myself  hard  pressed.  I  encouraged  the  few 
Frenchmen  who  were  with  me  immediately  to  bring  the  wheat 
into  the  fort.  And  it  was  well  we  did  so,  for  two  days  later 
I  would  have  had  no  supplies  except  for  the  moment,  and 
it  would  have  been  necessary  to  skirmish  in  order  to  take 
possession  of  it,  and  much  of  it  would  even  have  been  pillaged 
from  us.  The  most  important  thing  was  to  pull  down  as  quick- 
ly as  possible  the  church,  the  storehouse  and  some  other  houses 
which  were  near  my  fort,  and  so  close  that  the  enemy  could 
have  succeeded  in  setting  fire  to  the  fort  whenever  they  wanted 
to.    And  besides  it  was  important  to  clear  the  place  in  order 


48  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

to  defend  ourselves  in  case  of  an  attack  which  very  soon  took 
place.  We  must  return  a  thousand  thanks  to  the  Lord.  We 
should  have  been  lost  if  I  had  not  formed  this  intention.  I 
put  on  the  best  countenance  I  could,  encouraging  the  French, 
who  were  in  consternation,  believing  themselves  surely  lost. 
The  fear  I  entertained,  that  some  accident  might  happen  to 
the  French  who  had  not  yet  arrived  and  the  necessity  of  sow- 
ing our  grain  and  pasturing  our  cattle,  prevented  me  from 
refusing  them  permission  to  enter  my  fort  to  trade,  for  fear 
they  should  suspect  that  I  knew  their  pernicious  object.  The 
only  thing  I  could  do  was  to  tell  them  that  I  apprehended  that 
the  Miamis,  who  knew  that  I  permitted  them  to  remain  so 
near,  would  make  war  upon  me,  and  therefore  I  was  about  to 
repair  my  fort.  They  did  not  appear  to  give  much  credit  to 
my  assertions. 

It  was  necessary  to  fire  our  guns  occasionally  in  order  to 
get  some  logs  which  were  outside  the  fort  and  of  which  they 
had  taken  possession.  I  set  about,  as  quickly  as  possible,  to 
repair  the  fort,  with  those  which  I  succeeded  in  taking  away 
from  them.  And  I  succeeded  in  strengthening  it  perfectly 
well  with  material  from  the  houses.  I  employed  a  ruse  to  ob- 
tain possession  of  a  pigeon-house  which  they  wished  to  keep, 
which  might  have  given  us  much  trouble  and  caused  us  much 
loss  of  life.  I  placed  it  immediately  opposite  their  fort  and 
pierced  it  with  loop  holes.  I  mounted  two  swivels  on  two 
great  logs  of  wood  to  serve  as  cannon  in  case  of  necessity. 

The  13th  of  May,  While  I  was  impatiently  waiting  the 
arrival  of  my  allies,  whom  I  had  sent  out  to  find,  who  were 
the  only  aid  I  could  expect,  M.  de  Vincennes,  arrived  from 
among  the  Miamis  with  seven  or  eight  Frenchmen.  He  brought 
me  no  news  of  the  savages  whom  I  was  awaiting,  which  gave 
me  much  trouble,  as  I  now  did  not  know  on  what  Saint  to  call. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  49 

But  heaven  watched  over  our  preservation,  and  when  I  least 
expected  it  there  entered  a  Huron  all  breathless  who  said 
to  me:  "My  father,  I  ask  to  speak  to  you  in  secret.  I  am 
sent  to  you  by  our  old  men."  There  were  then  in  their  villages 
but  seven  or  eight  men,  it  seems  that  everything  which  hap- 
pened was  miraculous,  for  all  the  others,  arrived  two  hours 
afterwards  and  the  Ottawas  also.  The  messenger  said  "God 
has  pity  on  you.  He  desires  that  your  enemies  and  ours 
should  perish.  I  bring  you  news  that  four  men  have  just 
arrived  at  our  fort,  not  daring  to  enter  yours  on  account  of 
the  Ottagamies  and  Mascoutins  who  surround  you.  Makisabie, 
war  chief  of  the  Pottawatamies  the  brother  of  Tekamasinon 
and  two  others  desire  to  speak  to  you.  I  begged  M.  de  Vin- 
cennes to  meet  them  and  he  recognized  the  four  Indians.  He 
came  an  hour  later  to  reply  to  me  and  told  me  on  the  part 
of  Makisabie  that  600  men  would  soon  arrive  to  aid  me,  and 
to  eat  those  miserable  nations  who  had  troubled  all  the  coun- 
try. That  it  was  necessary  to  keep  myself  on  guard  against 
being  surprised  by  the  Ottagamies  and  Mascoutins  who  might 
learn  of  the  arrival  of  this  assistance. 

I  begged  M.  de  Vincennes  to  return  to  the  Huron  fort  and 
to  find  out  from  Makisabie  if  he  could  not  find  means  to  satisfy 
himself  with  driving  away  the  Mascoutins  and  the  Ottagamies 
and  compelling  them  to  return  to  their  former  villages  which 
was,  Monsieur,  your  intention.  But  this  could  not  be  done, 
for  the  Hurons  were  too  much  enraged.  This  great  affair 
had  been  too  well  concerted  during  the  whole  autumn  and 
winter  with  all  the  nations,  and  presents  had  been  given.  M. 
de  Vincennes  perceiving  that  it  would  only  irritate  the  Hurons 
to  speak  of  a  reconciliation,  dropped  the  subject,  the  more 
readily  as  they  said  these  wicked  men  had  never  kept  their 
word.     We  could  only  then  be  silent  and  put  the  best  face 


50  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

on  the  affair,  while  we  fought  with  them  against  our  common 
enemy.  The  Hurons  even  reproached  us  with  being  tired  of 
living,  since  we  knew  the  bad  intentions  of  the  Ottagamies 
and  the  Mascoutins.  They  said  it  was  absolutely  necessary 
to  destroy  them  and  to  extinguish  their  fire,  and  it  was  your 
intention  they  should  perish.  They  knew  your  views  on  this 
subject  at  Montreal. 

M.  de  Vincennes  returned  and  told  me  it  was  usless  to 
talk  of  any  reconcilation.  And  in  truth  I  well  knew  that  it 
was  a  cause  for  fear  to  have  so  many  nations  around  us  of 
whose  good  intentions  we  were  not  certain.  I  therefore  closed 
the  gates  of  the  fort  and  divided  my  few  Frenchman  into 
four  brigades,  each  having  its  brigadier.  I  inspected  their 
arms  and  amunition,  and  assigned  them  their  stations  on  the 
bastions.  I  put  four  of  them  into  the  redoubt  I  have  just 
constructed.  I  placed  some  of  them  at  the  two  curtains  where 
there  was  the  most  to  fear,  armed  with  drawn  swords.  My 
two  cannon  were  all  ready  with  slugs  of  iron  prepared  to  load 
them,  which  had  been  made  ready  by  the  blacksmith.  Our 
reverend  father,  on  his  side,  bestirred  himself,  holding  him- 
self ready  to  give  a  general  absolution  in  case  of  need,  and  to 
succor  the  wounded  if  perchance  there  should  be  any.  He 
communicated  also  the  Sacred  Host. 

Every  arrangement  being  made  and  while  we  were  waiting 
with  impatience  I  was  informed  that  there  were  many  people 
in  sight.  I  immediately  ascended  a  bastion  and  casting  my 
eyes  toward  the  woods  I  saw  the  army  of  the  nations  of  the 
South  coming  from  that  direction.  They  were  the  Illinois,  the 
Missouris,  the  Osages  and  other  nations  still  more  remote. 
There  were  also  with  them  the  Ottawa  chief,  Saguima,  and 
also  the  Potawatamies,  the  Saks,  and  some  Menomenies.  De- 
troit never  saw  so  many  people.     It  is  surprising  how  much 


Sieur  de  Vincénnes  Identified  51 

all  these  nations  are  angered  against  the  Mascontins  and  the 
Ottagamies.  This  army  marched  in  good  order,  with  as  many 
flags  as  there  were  different  nations,  and  it  proceeded  directly 
to  the  fort  of  the  Hurons,  who  said  to  the  head  chief  of  this 
army  "You  must  not  encamp.  Affairs  are  too  pressing.  We 
must  enter  immediately  into  our  father's  fort  and  fight  for  him. 
Since  he  has  always  had  pity  on  us  and  since  he  loves  us,  we 
ought  to  die  for  him.  Do  you  not  see  that  smoke  also  ?  There 
are  three  women  of  your  village,  Saguima,  who  are  burning 
there,  and  your  wife  is  among  them."  Not  another  word  was 
necessary.  There  arose  a  great  cry  and  at  the  same  time  they 
all  began  to  run  headlong.  The  Hurons  and  the  Ottawas 
of  this  place  at  their  head.  The  Ottagamies  and  Mascoutins 
raised  also  their  war  cry  and  about  forty  of  them  rushed  from 
their  fort  all  naked  and  painted,  brandishing  their  arms  in 
every  direction  to  meet  our  men  and  defying  them  in  order  to 
make  them  believe  that  they  feared  them  not  at  all.  They 
were  obliged  however  to  retreat  immediately  and  to  return  to 
their  village.  Our  Indians  asked  my  permission  to  enter  my 
fort,  which  I  granted,  seeing  that  they  were  much  excited.  It 
was  my  plan  to  have  them  encamp  near  the  woods,  that  they 
might  not  be  troublesome.  All  the  Indian  chiefs  assembled  on 
the  parade  ground  of  my  fort  and  spoke  to  me  as  follows  : 

"My  father,  I  speak  to  you  on  the  part  of  all  the  nations 
your  children  who  are  before  you.  What  you  did  last  year 
in  drawing  their  flesh  from  the  fire,  which  the  Ottagamies 
were  about  to  roast  and  eat,  well  merits  that  we  should  bring 
you  our  bodies,  to  make  you  master  of  them  and  to  do  all 
that  you  wish.  We  do  not  fear  death,  when  it  is  necessary 
to  die  for  you.  We  only  beg  that  you  pray  the  father  of  all 
nations  to  have  pity  on  our  women  and  children,  in  case  we 
lose  our  life  with  you.    We  beg  that  you  throw  a  blade  of  grass 


52  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

upon  our  bones  to  protect  them  from  the  flies.  You  see,  my 
father,  that  we  have  left  our  villages,  our  women  and  our 
children  to  come  as  quickly  as  possible  to  join  you.  We  hope 
that  you  will  have  pity  on  us,  that  you  will  give  us  something 
to  eat  and  a  little  tobacco  to  smoke.  We  have  come  from  a 
distance  and  are  destitute  of  everything.  We  hope  that  you 
will  give  us  powder  and  balls  to  fight  with  you.  We  don't 
make  a  great  speech.  We  perceive  that  we  fatigue  you  and 
the  French  by  the  ardor  which  you  show  for  the  fight." 

I  immediately  answered  them  briefly  :  "I  thank  you  my 
children;  the  desire  which  you  have  to  come  and  offer  to  die 
with  me  is  very  agreeable  to  me  and  causes  me  much  pleasure, 
I  recognize  you  as  true  children  of  the  governor.  I 
shall  not  fail  to  render  him  an  account  of  all  you  have  done 
for  me  today.  You  need  not  doubt  that  when  any  question 
respecting  your  interests  arises  he  will  busy  himself  about  it 
with  much  ardor.  I  receive  orders  from  him  constantly  to 
watch  continually  for  the  preservation  of  his  children.  With 
regard  to  your  needs,  I  know  that  you  want  everything.  The 
fire  which  has  just  taken  place  is  unlucky  for  you  as  well  as 
for  we;  I  will,  however,  do  all  I  can  to  provide  you  with 
what  is  most  necessary.  I  invite  you  to  live  in  peace,  union 
and  good  will  together  as  well  among  your  different  nations 
as  with  my  Frenchmen.  This  will  be  the  best  means  of  en- 
abling us  entirely  to  defeat  our  common  enemies.  Take  cour- 
age then.  Repair  your  tomahawks,  your  bows  and  your  arrows 
and  especially  your  guns.  T  shall  presently  distribute  powder 
and  balls  among  you,  and  then  we  will  attack  our  enemies. 
This  is  all  I  have  to  say  to  you." 

All  the  Indians  uttered  a  loud  cry  of  joy  and  of  thanks, 
saying:  "Our  enemies  are  dead  from  the  present  moment. 
The  heavens  begin  to  grow  clear  and  the  Master  of  Life  has 
pity  on  us." 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  53 

All  the  old  men  made  harangues  throughout  the  entire 
fort  to  encourage  the  warriors,  telling  them  to  listen  well  to 
my  words  and  to  obey  me  in  all  the  manoeuvres  that  I  was 
about  to  have  them  perform.  I  distributed  immediately  pow- 
der and  ball  among  them  and  then  we  all  together  raised  the 
war  cry.  The  very  earth  trembled.  The  enemy,  who  were 
not  more  than  a  pistol  shot  away,  raised  also  their  war  cry. 
At  the  same  time  the  guns  were  immediately  discharged  on 
both  sides  and  the  balls  flew  like  hail.  We  had  to  do  as  our 
Indians  did,  in  order  to  encourage  them.  The  powder  and 
balls  which  you  had  the  goodness  to  send  us  last  autumn  did 
not  last  long.  I  was  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  the  three 
barrels  that  M.  de  Lamothe  left  with  a  certain  Roy  to  sell, 
leaving  me  not  a  single  grain  when  he  went  away  for  the 
defense  of  the  fort  in  case  of  an  attack.  All  mine  was  ex- 
hausted, which  had  gone  but  a  little  way,  as  well  as  a  quantity 
which  I  had  been  obliged  to  purchase  from  some  of  the  French 
people. 

I  held  the  Ottagamies  and  the  Mascoutins  in  a  state  of  siege 
during  nineteen  days,  wearing  them  out  by  a  continual  fire 
night  and  day.  In  order  to  avoid  our  fire  they  were  obliged  to 
dig  holes  four  or  five  feet  deep  in  the  ground  and  to  shelter 
themselves  there.  I  had  erected  two  large  scaffolds  twenty 
feet  high  the  better  to  fire  into  their  villages.  They  could 
not  go  out  for  water.  Hunger  and  thirst  exhausted  them.  I 
had  from  four  to  five  hundred  men  who  blockaded  their 
village,  day  and  night,  so  that  no  one  could  go  out  to  seek 
assistance.  All  of  our  Indians  went  to  hide  at  the  edge  of  the 
wood  whence  they  continually  returned  with  prisoners  who 
were  coming  to  join  their  people  not  knowing  they  were  be- 
sieged. Their  pastime  was  to  shoot  them  or  to  fire  arrows 
at  them  and  burn  them. 


54  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

The  enemy  which  I  had  held  besieged,  thinking  to  intimi- 
date me  and  by  this  means  to  oblige  me  to  leave  the  field  open 
to  them,  covered  their  palisades  with  scarlet  blankets  and  then 
shouted  to  me  that  they  wished  that  the  earth  was  all  covered 
with  blood.  These  red  blankets  were  the  mark  of  it.  They 
hoisted  twelve  red  blankets  as  standards  in  twelve  different 
places  of  their  village.  I  well  knew  that  these  signals  were 
English,  and  they  fought  for  them.  This  indeed  they  shout- 
ed to  me,  speaking  from  one  fort  to  the  other.  They  said 
they  had  no  father  but  the  English,  and  told  all  the  nations, 
our  allies,  that  they  would  do  much  better  to  quit  our  side 
and  join  theirs. 

The  great  war  chief  of  the  Pottawatamies  after  having 
asked  my  advice  and  permission,  mounted  one  of  my  scaf- 
folds and  spoke  to  our  enemies  in  the  name  of  all  our  nations 
in  these  words  :  "Wicked  nations  that  you  are  ;  you  hope  to 
frighten  us  by  all  that  red  color  which  you  show  in  your 
village.  Learn  that  if  the  earth  is  covered  with  blood,  it 
will  be  with  yours.  You  speak  to  us  of  the  English.  They 
are  the  cause  of  your  destruction,  because  you  have  listened 
to  their  bad  council.  They  are  the  enemies  of  prayer,  and 
it  is  for  that  reason  that  the  Master  of  Life  chastises  them 
as  well  as  you,  wicked  men  that  you  are.  Don't  you  know- 
as  well  as  we  do  that  the  Father  of  all  the  nations,  who  is 
at  Montreal,  sends  continually  parties  of  his  children  against 
the  English  to  make  war  upon  them,  and  that  they  take  so 
many  prisoners  that  they  do  not  know  where  to  put  them? 
These  English  who  are  cowards  only  defend  themselves  secret- 
ly by  killing  men  by  that  wicked  drink  brandy,  which  has 
caused  so  many  men  to  die  immediately  after  drinking  it. 
Thus  we  shall  see  what  will  happen  to  you  too  for  having 
listened  to  their  words." 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  55 

I  was  obliged  to  stop  this  conversation  perceiving  that 
the  enemy  had  asked  my  permission  to  speak  only  to  divert 
us  and  to  have  a  little  time  to  go  for  water.  Thirst  dis- 
tressed them  much.  I  ordered  our  great  fire  to  recommence, 
which  was  so  violent  that  we  killed  more  than  thirty  men 
and  some  women  who  had  secretly  gone  out  for  water.  I 
lost,  that  day  in  my  fort,  twelve  men,  who  were  killed  by 
our  enemies.  In  spite  of  me,  the  enemy  had  taken  posses- 
sion of  a  house,  where  they  had  erected  a  scaffold,  behind 
the  gable-end  which  was  made  of  earth.  Our  rifle  balls  could 
not  penetrate  this  defense  and  thus  every  day  some  of  our 
people  were  killed.  This  obliged  me  to  raise  upon  one  of  my 
scaffolds  the  two  large  logs  upon  which  were  mounted  my 
swivels.  I  loaded  them  with  slugs  and  caused  them  to  be 
fired  upon  the  gable-end  which  troubled  me  so  much.  The 
first  two  discharges  carried  so  successfully  that  we  heard 
the  scaffold  which  they  had  built  back  of  the  gable  fall  in 
ruins  and  some  of  the  enemy  were  killed  there.  They  were 
so  frightened  by  this  shooting  of  the  cannon  that  we  heard 
them  utter  cries  and  frightful  groans,  and  toward  evening  they 
called  out  to  beg  that  I  would  allow  them  to  come  and  speak- 
to  me.  Immediately  I  assembled  the  chiefs  of  the  nations 
who  were  with  me  to  find  out  their  opinion,  and  we  all  agreed 
that  we  ought  to  let  them  come,  in  order  by  some  statagem, 
to  try  and  withdraw  from  their  hands  three  women  of  our 
people  whom  they  had  made  prisoners  some  days  before  the 
seige,  one  of  whom  was  the  wife  of  the  great  chief  Saguima. 
I  shouted  to  them  through  my  interpreter  that  they  might 
come  in  safety  to  speak  to  me,  as  I  was  perfectly  willing  to 
give  them  that  satisfaction  before  they  died. 

They  did  not  fail  the  next  morning  to  come.  We  were 
very  much  surprised  not  to  see  their  red  flags  in  the  village, 


56  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

but  only  a  white  one.  The  great  chief  Pemoussa  was  the 
head  of  this  first  embassy.  He  came  out  of  his  village  with 
two  other  savages,  a  white  flag  in  his  hand.  I  sent  my  in- 
terpreter to  bring  him  to  me  and  to  protect  him  from  insult 
from  any  young  warrior.  He  entered  my  fort.  I  placed  him 
in  the  middle  of  the  parade-ground  and  then  I  assembled 
all  the  chiefs  of  the  nations,  who  were  with  me,  to  hear  all 
together.  The  ambassador  spoke  in  these  words,  presenting 
a  belt  of  wampum  and  two  slaves:  "My  father  I  am  dead. 
I  see  very  well  that  heaven  is  clear  and  beautiful  for  you 
alone,  and  that  for  me  it  is  all  dark.  When  I  left  my 
village  I  hoped  that  you  would  listen  to  me.  I  beg  of  you,  my 
father,  by  this  belt  which  I  lay  at  your  feet,  that  you  have 
pity  on  your  children,  and  that  you  do  not  efuse  them  the 
two  days,  that  they  ask  you,  in  which  there  shall  be  no  firing 
on  either  side,  that  our  old  men  may  hold  a  council  to  find 
means  of  softening  your  spirit.  It  is  to  you  that  I  now  speak, 
you  other  children  obeying  the  word  of  our  father.  This 
belt  is  to  pray  you  to  remember  that  you  are  our  kindred. 
If  you  shed  our  blood,  remember  that  it  is  also  your  own. 
I  pray  you  to  soften  the  heart  of  our  father,  whom  we  have 
so  often  angered.  These  two  slaves  are  to  replace,  perhaps, 
a  little  blood  which  you  may  have  lost.  I  speak  to  you  only 
these  few  words  until  our  old  men  take  council  together,  if 
you  grant  us  the  two  days  that  I  ask  of  you." 

This,  Monsieur,  is  what  I  replied  to  him:  "If  your  hearts 
were  a  little  moved  and  if  you  truly  considered  the  governor 
as  your  father  you  would  have  begun  by  bringing  to  me  the 
three  women  whom  you  hold  as  prisoners.  Not  having  done 
this,  I  believe  your  hearts  are  still  bad.  If  you  wish  that 
I  listen  to  you,  begin  by  bringing  them  to  me.  This  is  all 
I  have  to  say." 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  57 

All  the  chiefs  who  were  with  me  cried  aloud  :  "My  father, 
after  what  you  have  just  said  we  have  nothing  to  reply  to 
this  ambassador.     Let  him  obey  you  if  he  wishes  to  live." 

The  ambassador  replied  :  "I  am  only  a  child  ;  I  shall  re- 
turn to  my  village  to  render  an  account  to  our  old  men." 

Thus  finishing  the  council,  I  gave  him  three  or  four 
Frenchmen  to  take  him  back,  assuring  him  that  we  would  not 
lire  during  the  entire  day,  as  their  old  men  had  requested,  on 
condition  that  no  one  should  leave  the  village  to  seek  water, 
and  if  any  one  saw  them  do  it  the  truce  should  be  at  an 
end  and  we  would  fire  upon  them  immediately. 

Two  hours  after  two  Mascoutin  chiefs  and  a  third,  an 
Ottagami,  came,  flag  in  hand,  with  the  three  women  in  ques- 
tion. I  made  them  enter  the  same  place  that  the  first  had 
entered,  where  were  assembled  all  our  savage  chiefs.  These 
three  messengers  spoke  as  follows  :  "My  father,  here  are 
these  three  morsels  of  flesh  you  ask  of  us.  We  have  not 
eaten  them,  thinking  you  would  call  us  to  account  for  it. 
Do  what  you  please  with  them.  You  are  the  master.  Now 
we,  the  Mascoutins  and  the  Ottagamies,  beg  that  you  cause 
all  the  nations  who  are  with  you  to  retire  in  order  that  we 
be  free  to  seek  provisions  for  our  women  and  children.  Many 
die  every  day  of  hunger  and  of  distress.  All  our  village 
regrets  that  we  have  angered  you.  If  you  are  as  good  a 
father  as  all  your  children,  who  are  around  you  say  you 
are,  you  will  not  refuse  the  favor  we  ask  of  you." 

Since  I  had  the  three  women  whom  I  asked,  I  did  not 
care  longer  to  parley  with  them;  I  therefore  answered:  "If 
you  had  eaten  my  flesh,  which  you  have  brought  to  me,  you 
would  not  be  living  at  this  moment.  You  would  have  felt 
such  terrible  blows  that  they  would  have  forced  you  into 
the  earth   so  deep  that  no  one  would  any  longer  speak  of 


58  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

you.  So  true  is  it  that  I  love  the  flesh  of  the  father  of  all 
the  nations.  With  regard  to  the  liberty  which  you  demand 
of  me,  I  leave  it  to  my  children  to  answer  you.  Therefore 
I  speak  no  more." 

The  head  chief  of  the  Illinois,  whose  name  is  Makouandeby, 
was  appointed  by  the  chiefs  of  the  other  nations  to  speak  in 
these  words:  "My  father,  we  thank  you  for  all  your  kind- 
ness to  us.  We  thank  you  for  it,  and  since  you  give  us  per- 
mission to  speak,  we  shall  do  so." 

And  then,  addressing  the  hostile  chiefs,  he  said:  "Now 
listen  to  me,  ye  nations  who  have  troubled  all  the  earth. 
We  well  see,  in  all  your  words,  that  you  seek  only  to  sur- 
prise our  father  and  to  deceive  him  again,  in  asking  that  he 
would  cause  us  to  retire.  We  should  no  sooner  do  so  than 
you  would  again  torment  our  father.  You  would  inevitably 
shed  his  blood.  You  are  dogs  who  have  always  bitten  him. 
You  have  never  been  sensible  to  the  favors  which  you  have 
received  from  all  the  French.  You  have  believed,  wretches 
that  you  are,  that  we  did  not  know  all  the  commands  you 
have  received  from  the  English,  to  cut  the  throats  of  our 
father,  and  of  his  children  here,  and  then  to  lead  the  English 
into  this  country.  Go  away  then.  For  us  we  will  not  stir  a 
step;  we  wish  to  die  with  our  father;  and  if  he  should  tell 
us  to  go  away  from  you,  we  would  disobey  him,  because 
knowing  your  wicked  heart,  we  do  not  want  to  leave  him 
alone  with  you.  We  shall  see  from  this  moment  who  are 
to  be  masters,  you  or  we.  You  have  only  now  to  retire,  and 
as  soon  as  you  shall  reenter  your  fort  we  shall  begin  our 
fire." 

I  sent  an  escort  to  conduct  the  ambassadors  to  their  fort, 
and  we  began  to  fire  again  as  usual.  We  were  three  or  four 
davs  without  communication,  firing  constantly  and  briskly  on 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  59 

both  sides.  The  enemy  discharged  their  arrows  so  rapidly 
that  more  than  three  or  four  hundred  were  flying  in  the  air 
at  the  same  time.  At  their  ends  were  lighted  bombs  and 
others  with  fuses  of  powder  with  the  object  of  setting  us 
on  fire  as  they  had  threatened  to  do.  I  found  myself  very 
much  embarrassed.  Their  arrows  fell  in  every  direction  on 
the  houses,  which  were  only  covered  with  straw,  so  that  the 
fire  caught  here  and  there,  which  so  frightened  the  French 
that  they  thought  they  were  lost.  I  reassured  them,  telling 
then  that  this  was  nothing,  and  that  we  must  find  a  remedy 
as  quickly  as  possible.  "Come  then,"  said  I  to  them,  "take 
courage,  let  us  take  the  thatch  from  the  houses  and  let  us 
cover  them  with  bear  skins  and  deer  skins  ;  the  Indians  will 
help  us."  I  then  had  them  bring  in  two  large  wooden  pirogues 
in  which  I  poured  twenty  barrels  of  water  and  provided  swabs 
at  the  end  of  rods  to  extinguish  the  fire,  if  it  should  catch 
anywhere,  and  hooks  to  pull  out  the  arrows.  I  had  four  or 
five  Frenchmen  wounded.  I  fell  into  another  embarrassment 
much  greater  than  this  first  one.  My  Indians  became  dis- 
couraged, and  wanted  to  go  away,  a  part  of  them  saying 
that  we  should  never  conquer  this  nation.  That  they  knew 
them  well,  and  that  they  were  braver  than  any  of  the  rest; 
that  besides  I  could  no  longer  furnish  them  with  provisions 
sufficient  for  their  subsistence.  The  inconstancy  of  these  na- 
tions ought  to  teach  us  how  dangerous  it  is  to  leave  a  post 
so  distant  as  this  without  troops.  I  then  saw  myself  on  the 
point  of  being  abandoned  and  left  a  prey  to  our  enemies,  who 
would  not  have  given  us  any  quarter  and  the  English  would 
have  triumphed.  The  French  were  so  frightened  that  they 
said  to  me  that  they  saw  clearly  that  it  was  necessary  that 
we  should  retire  as  quickly  as  possible  to  Michilimakinac.  I 
said  to  them:     "What  are  you  thinking  of?     Can  you  en- 


60  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

tertain  such  sentiments?  Can  you  abandon  the  post  in  such 
a  cowardly  manner?  Dismiss  from  your  minds,  my  friends, 
so  evil  a  design.  Do  things  appear  to  you  so  bad  that  you 
should  fear  so  greatly?  You  ought  to  know  that  if  you  had 
done  such  a  thing  as  to  abandon  me  that  the  Governor  Gen- 
eral would  pursue  you  everywhere  to  punish  you  for  your 
cowardice.  What  the  Indians  have  just  said  ought  not  to 
frighten  you.  I  am  going  to  speak  to  all  the  chiefs  in  private 
and  inspire  them  with  new  courage.  Therefore  change  your 
views  and  let  me  act.  You  will  see  that  all  will  go  well." 
They  answered  that  they  were  only  pretending  to  retreat 
without  my  consent  and  without  me  at  their  head,  believing 
that  they  could  not  hold  the  place  if  the  savages  abandoned 
us.  They  begged  me  not  to  consider  them  faithless  and  as- 
sured me  that  they  would  keep  on  doing  all  that  I  wished  of 
them.  And  truly  I  was  afterwards  very  well  content  with 
them.    They  did  their  duty  like  brave  people. 

I  was  four  days  and  four  nights  without  any  rest  and 
without  eating  or  drinking,  striving  all  the  time  to  secure  to  my 
interests  all  the  young  war  chiefs,  in  order  to  keep  them  firm 
with  me  and  to  encourage  all  the  warriors  not  to  leave  us 
until  we  had  entirely  defeated  our  enemies.  To  attain  my 
end,  I  stripped  myself  of  all  I  had,  making  presents  to  one 
and  another.  You  know,  Monsieur,  that  with  the  Indians 
one  must  not  be  niggardly.  I  flatter  myself  that  you  will 
have  the  goodness  to  approve  all  these  expenditures,  which 
for  me  are  immense,  and  for  the  King  of  no  consequence; 
for  otherwise  I  should  be  much  to  be  pitied,  being  burdened 
with  a  large  family  which  causes  me  much  expense  at  Quebec. 

Having  gained  all  the  Indians  in  private,  I  held  a  general 
council  to  which  I  called  all  the  nations  and  said  to  them: 
"What,  my  children,  when  you  are  just  on  the  point  of  destroy- 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  61 

ing  this  wicked  nation,  do  you  think  of  fleeing  shamefully 
after  having  so  well  begun?  Could  you  lift  up  your  heads 
again?  You  would  ever  after  be  overwhelmed  with  confu- 
sion. All  the  other  nations  would  say:  'Are  these  the  brave 
warriors  who  fled  so  ignominiously  after  having  abandoned 
the  French'  ?  Be  not  troubled  ;  take  courage  ;  we  will  endeavor 
yet  to  find  a  few  provisions.  The  Hurons  and  the  Ottawas, 
your  brothers,  offer  you  some.  As  for  me,  I  will  do  all  I 
can  to  comfort  you  and  aid  you.  Don't  you  see  that  only  a 
thread  holds  your  enemies?  Hunger  and  thirst  overpower 
them.  We  shall  quickly  make  ourselves  masters  of  their 
bodies.  Will  it  not  be  very  pleasant  after  this  great  defeat, 
when  you  visit  Montreal,  to  receive  there  the  caresses  and 
the  friendship  of  the  father  of  all  the  Nations,  who  will  thank 
you  for  having  risked  your  lives  with  me?  For  you  cannot 
doubt  that  in  the  report  I  shall  make  to  him  concerning  all 
of  this  I  shall  render  justice  to  each  of  you  in  particular, 
for  all  you  have  done  for  me.  You  must  know  also  that  to 
defeat  this  nation  is  to  give  that  life  and  peace  to  your  women 
and  children  which  they  have  not  yet  enjoyed." 

The  young  war  chiefs  whom  I  had  gained  did  not  give 
me  time  to  finish,  but  said  to  me  :  "My  father,  allow  us  to 
interrupt  you  ;  we  believe  there  is  some  liar  who  has  told  you 
falsehoods.  We  assure  you  that  we  all  love  you  too  much  to 
abandon  you,  and  that  we  are  not  such  cowards  as  is  re- 
ported. We  are  resolved,  even  if  we  are  much  more  pressed 
with  hunger,  not  to  quit  you  till  your  enemies  and  ours  are 
defeated."  All  the  old  men  approved  of  these  sentiments 
and  said  :  "Rush  to  your  arms  and  prove  that  those  are  liars 
who  have  reported  evil  of  us  to  our  fathers."  Then  they  raised 
a  great  cry  and  sang  the  war  song  and  danced  the  war  dance, 
and  a  large  party  went  out  to  fight. 


62  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

Every  day  some  Sacs  who  had  formerly  lived  in  the  same 
village  with  the  Ottagamies  left  their  fort  and  came  to  join 
their  people  who  were  with  me,  who  received  them  with  much 
pleasure.  They  made  known  to  us  the  condition  of  the  village 
of  our  enemy,  assuring  us  that  they  were  reduced  to  the  last 
extremity.  That  from  sixty  to  eighty  women  and  children 
had  died  from  hunger  and  thirst,  and  that  their  bodies  and  the 
bodies  of  those  who  were  killed  every  day  had  caused  an  infec- 
tion in  their  camp  since  they  did  not  dare  make  any  attempt 
to  bury  them,  on  account  of  the  heavy  fire  that  we  continually 
kept  up. 

Under  these  circumstances  the  enemy  demanded  permis- 
sion to  speak  to  us  which  we  granted  them.  Their  messengers 
were  their  two  great  chiefs,  one  of  the  village,  the  other  of 
war,  the  first  named  Allamyma  and  the  other  Pamousa.  With 
them  came  also  two  great  Mascoutin  chiefs,  one  named  Kissis, 
and  the  other  Ouabimanitou.  The  great  chief  Pamousa  was  at 
the  head  of  the  three  others,  having  a  crown  of  wampum  on 
his  head,  many  belts  of  wampum  on  his  body  and  hanging  over 
his  shoulder.  He  was  painted  with  green  earth  and  accom- 
panied by  seven  female  slaves  who  were  also  painted  and  orna- 
mented with  wampum.  The  three  other  chiefs  had  each  a 
chichicoy  in  their  hand.  All  of  them  marched  in  order,  singing 
and  shouting  with  all  their  might,  to  the  sound  of  their  chichi- 
coys,  calling  all  the  devils  to  their  assistance  and  to  have  pity 
on  them.  They  even  had  little  figures  of  devils  hanging  from 
their  girdles.  They  entered  my  fort  in  this  manner  among  all 
the  nations,  our  allies,  and  spoke  as  follows  :  "My  father,  I 
speak  to  you  and  to  all  the  nations  who  are  before  you.  I  beg 
life  from  you.  It  is  no  longer  ours.  You  have  made  your- 
selves masters  of  it.  All  the  spirits  have  abandoned  us.  I 
bring  you  my  flesh  in  the  seven  slaves  whom  I  place  at  your 
feet.     But  do  not  believe  I  am  afraid  to  die.     It  is  the  lives 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  63 

of  our  women  and  children  that  I  ask  of  you.  I  beg  you  to 
allow  the  sun  to  shine,  let  the  sky  be  clear,  that  we  may  see 
the  day  and  that  hereafter  our  affairs  may  be  prosperous. 
Here  are  six  belts  that  we  give  you,  which  bind  us  to  you  as 
true  slaves.  We  pray  you  to  untie  them  as  a  sign  that  you 
give  us  life.  Remember,  all  of  you,  that  you  are  our  great- 
nephews.  Tell  us  something,  I  pray  you,  which  can  give  pleas- 
ure on  our  return  to  our  village.,, 

I  left  it  to  our  Indians  to  reply  to  these  ambassadors.  They 
had  become  in  so  short  a  time  so  enraged  against  them  that 
they  would  not  give  them  any  answer.  Eight  or  ten  chiefs 
asked  only  to  speak  to  me  in  private.  "My  father,  we  come  to 
ask  permission  of  you  to  break  the  heads  of  these  four  great 
chiefs.  They  are  the  men  who  prevent  our  enemies  from  sur- 
rendering at  discretion.  When  these  shall  be  no  longer  at 
their  head  they  will  find  themselves  much  embarrassed  and  will 
surrender." 

I  told  them  that  they  ought  to  be  very  sure  of  themselves 
to  make  me  such  a  proposition.  "Remember  that  they  came 
here  upon  my  word  and  you  have  given  me  yours.  We  must 
act  with  good  faith  and  if  I  accepted  this  proposition  how  in 
the  future  could  you  trust  one  another?  M.  the  Governor 
General  would  never  pardon  me.  Dismiss  this  from  your 
mind.  They  must  return  peaceably.  You  see  clearly  that  they 
cannot  escape  us  since  you  are  resolved  not  to  give  them 
quarter." 

They  confessed  that  I  was  right  and  that  they  were  foolish. 
The  ambassadors  were  dismissed  in  all  safety,  without,  how- 
ever, giving  them  any  answer  on  that  which  they  had  come  to 
ask  of  us.  These  poor  wretches  well  knew  there  was  no 
longer  any  hope  for  them. 

I  confess,  Monsieur,  that  I  was  touched  with  compassion 
at  their  misfortune  :  but  as  war  and  pity  do  not  well  agree 


64  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

together  and  particularly  as  I  understood  that  they  were  paid 
by  the  English  to  destroy  us,  I  abandoned  them  to  their  un- 
fortunate fate.  Indeed  I  hastened  to  have  this  tragedy 
finished  in  order  that  the  example  might  strike  terror  to  the 
English  and  their  allies.  The  great  fire  recommenced  more 
and  more  violently.  The  enemy,  being  in  despair,  since  they 
were  continually  fired  upon  in  their  village  and  out  of  it,  when 
they  wished  to  go  for  water  or  to  gather  a  few  herbs  to  appease 
their  hunger,  had  no  other  resource  but  an  obscure  night  with 
rain  to  make  their  escape.  They  awaited  it  with  much  impati- 
ence and  it  came  on  the  nineteenth  day  of  the  siege.  They  did 
not  fail  to  make  use  of  it,  decamping  about  midnight  and  we 
wTere  not  aware  of  it  until  daybreak.  I  encouraged  our  people 
and  they  pursued  them  very  vigorously.  M.  de  Vincennes 
joined  in  the  pursuit  with  some  Frenchmen  and  this  gave  much 
pleasure  to  our  Indians. 

The  enemy,  not  doubting  that  they  would  be  pursued, 
stopped  at  a  little  peninsula  which  is  opposite  Hog  Island  near 
Lake  St.  Clair,  four  leagues  from  the  fort,  protecting  them- 
selves by  tree  branches  cut  across  and  logs  cut  lengthwise. 
Our  people  not  perceiving  this  at  all,  pushed  on  into  their 
retrenchment  and  lost  there  more  than  twenty  men  killed  and 
wounded.  It  was  necessary  to  begin  a  second  siege  and  to 
encamp.  The  camp  was  regularly  laid  out.  Every  day  a  hun- 
dred canoes  brought  provisions.  There  were  Ottawas,  Hurons, 
Chippaways  and  Mississagues.  The  chief  sent  to  me  for  my 
two  cannon,  all  the  axes  and  mattocks  that  I  had  to  cut  down 
the  woods,  that  they  might  get  through  them,  in  order  to 
approach  the  retrenchment  of  the  enemy,  and  above  all  to  fur- 
nish powder  and  balls.  As  for  the  Indian  corn,  tobacco  and 
seasoning,  they  were  supplied  as  usual  without  counting  all 
the  kettles  of  the  French  which  were  lost  and  for  which  I 
had  to  pay. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  65 

The  enemy  held  their  position  for  four  days,  lighting  with 
much  courage  and  finally,  not  being  able  to  do  anything  more, 
surrendered  at  discretion  to  our  people  who  gave  them  no 
quarter.  All  were  killed  except  the  women  and  children, 
whose  lives  were  spared.  One  hundred  and  fifty  men,  who 
had  been  bound,  escaped.  All  our  allies  returned  to  my  fort 
with  their  slaves.  Their  pastime  was  to  shoot  four  or  five  men 
every  day.  The  Hurons  did  not  give  quarter  to  a  single  one  of 
them.  In  this  way,  Monsieur,  came  to  an  end  these  two  wicked 
nations  of  such  evil  intent  that  they  troubled  all  the  country. 
Our  reverend  father  chanted  a  grand  mass  to  render  thanks  to 
God  for  having  preserved  us  from  this  enemy. 

The  Ottagamies  and  Mascoutins  had  built  a  very  good  fort, 
which,  as  I  said  before,  was  within  pistol-shot  of  mine.  Our 
people  did  not  dare  to  undertake  to  storm  it  notwithstanding 
all  I  could  say.  There  were  three  hundred  men  to  defend  it, 
and  our  loss  would  have  been  great.  But  the  siege  would  not 
have  been  very  long.  Our  Indians  had  lost  sixty  men,  killed 
and  wounded,  thirty  of  whom  had  been  killed  in  the  fort  and 
a  Frenchman  named  Germain.  Five  or  six  others  were 
wounded  with  arrows.  The  enemy  lost  a  thousand  souls,  men, 
women  and  children. 

I  do  not  wish  to  forget  to  state  to  you  that  there  were 
about  twenty  five  Iroquois  who  had  joined  the  Hurons  of 
Fond-du-lac  in  this  war.  These  two  nations  together  distin- 
guished themselves  above  all  the  others,  therefore  their  loss 
has  been  greater.  They  have  received  many  caresses  from  all 
the  Indians  and  more  particularly,  since  they  have  made  satis- 
faction for  an  old  quarrel  by  presents  of  slaves  and  pipes.  It 
was  I  who  brought  them  to  this  reconciliation.  I  dare  venture 
to  assure,  you,  Monsieur,  that  this  general  assembly  of  all  the 
nations  has  put  them  at  peace  with  one  another  and  has  re- 
newed  their  ancient   alliance.     They  all   count   on   receiving 


66  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

great  presents  which  they  say,  Monsieur,  you  have  promised 
them. 

I  have  determined,  with  the  consent  of  his  nation  to  send 
to  you,  the  grand  chief  of  the  Illinois  from  Rock  Village.  His 
name  is  Chachagouache.  He  is  a  good  man  and  has  much 
authority  and  I  trust  that  you  will  induce  him  to  make  peace 
with  the  Miamis.  This  affair  is  of  very  great  consequence. 
The  Miamis  having  sent  me  word,  that  if  it  is  not  brought 
about,  they  will  abandon  their  village  and  build  another  on  the 
river  Ohio  at  the  end  of  Lake  Erie.  This  is  precisely  where 
the  English  are  about  to  build  a  fort,  according  to  the  belts 
they  have  sent  to  the  nations.  They  also  said  they  would  be 
contented  if  you  would  send  them,  Monsieur,  a  garrison  and  a 
reverend  Jesuit  father  and  some  presents  that,  they  say,  you 
promised  them.  Maquisabe,  the  Pottawatomi  chief,  has  much 
influence  over  the  mind  of  this  Illinois  chief.  He  goes  with 
him.  Joseph,  who  accompanies  them,  deserves  your  kindness. 
I  have  had  much  trouble  to  save  his  life. 

I  venture,  Monsieur,  to  beg  you  to  take  care  that  the 
Indians  who  come  with  M.  Vincennes  return  contented.  Their 
visit  secures  this  post.  Saguina  has  written  to  me  that  M. 
Desliettes  would  not  wait  for  him  last  spring,  believing  that  it 
was  through  neglect  poor  Otchipouac  died  this  winter.  It  is  a 
loss  for  he  had  much  firmness  and  was  well  disposed  toward 
the  French. 

We  have  another  difficult  affair  which  threatens  to  be  diffi- 
cult. The  Kickapoos,  who  live  at  the  mouth  of  the  Maumee, 
are  about  to  make  war  upon  us,  now  that  our  allies  have  left 
us;  about  thirty  Mascoutins  have  joined  them.  A  canoe  of 
Kickapoos,  who  came  from  Detroit  to  speak  to  the  three  vil- 
lages, has  been  destroyed  by  the  Hurons  and  Ottawas.  Among 
them  was  a  great  chief  whose  head  was  brought  to  me  with 
the  heads  of  three  others.  This  blow  was  struck,  out  of  resent- 
ment,  because,   last   winter,  they  had   taken   prisoners   from 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  67 

among  the  Hurons  and  the  Iroquois.  Besides  they  considered 
him  a  true  Ottagami.  I  believe  that  if  M.  de  Vincennes  had 
not  been  at  the  mouth  of  the  Miami  at  the  time  the  Kickapoos 
would  have  killed  the  two  Hurons  and  the  Iroquois.  There 
was  every  probability  of  it.  These  same  people  took  prisoner 
also,  Langlois,  who  was  on  his  return  from  the  Miami  coun- 
try, and  who  carried  many  letters  from  the  reverend  Jesuit 
fathers  at  the  Illinois  villages.  All  these  letters  have  been 
destroyed,  which  circumstance  gives  me  much  uneasiness  as 
I  am  sure  there  were  some  for  you  from  Louisiana.  They 
dismissed  this  Langlois  after  robbing  him  of  his  peltry,  telling 
him  to  return  and  tell  them  the  news,  but  he  had  no  more 
desire  to  do  that,  than  I  had  to  permit  him.  However,  the 
Ottawas  might  safely  send  there.  The  Kickapoos  have  among 
them  one  of  their  women  with  her  children.  I  will  endeavor 
to  prevail  upon  the  Ottawas  to  join  with  the  Hurons  in  order 
to  make  a  reconciliation  with  this  nation  that  we  may  have 
peace  here. 

All  the  nations  have  gone  away  peaceably  with  all  their 
slaves.  Saguina  has  left  his  village  and  gone  to  Michilimak- 
inac.  The  Hurons  also  abandoned  theirs  and  will  either  come 
here  or  go  to  the  Illinois.  More  than  half  of  the  Ottawas  of 
this  place  are  going  also  to  Michilimakinac.  The  Chipaways 
and  the  Mississaguas  will  go  to  Topicanich.  They  have  not  at 
all  been  disposed  to  give  any  satisfaction  to  the  Miamis  for 
the  murder  of  last  year  with  M.  de  Tonty.  The  Miamis  insist 
upon  knowing  the  reason  why.  I  spare  no  trouble  to  induce 
them  to  be  patient  and  to  persuade  them  that  I  labor  constantly 
for  their  interests. 

I  have  the  honor  to  inform  you,  Monsieur,  that  last  autumn 
I  accomplished  a  measure  that  M.  de  Lamothe  could  never 
effect  during  all  the  time  that  he  was  here,  which  was  to 
compel  the  Ottawas  to  make  a  solid  peace  with  the  Miamis. 
and  to  compel  them  to  visit  the  latter,  which  they  have  never 


68  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

been  willing  to  do.  I  succeeded  very  happily,  the  Miamis  hav- 
ing received  them  as  kindly  as  possible  and  they  have  made  a 
strong  alliance. 

I  flatter  myself,  Monsieur,  that  it  will  be  agreeable  to  you 
to  be  assured  that  M.  de  Vincennes  has  faithfully  performed 
his  duty  and  that  he  has  labored  carefully  here,  as  well  as  on 
his  journey  to  the  Miamis  and  Ouyatonons  last  winter. 

If  I  am  so  happy,  Monsieur,  as  to  receive  your  approba- 
tion of  my  conduct,  I  shall  be  fully  compensated  for  my  trouble 
and  shall  experience  no  more  dejection.  My  success  has  been 
owing  to  the  great  influence  I  have  over  the  nations.  M.  de 
Vincennes  is  witness.  I  do  not  say  this  in  order  to  gratify  my 
vanity  or  to  claim  any  credit  for  truly  I  am  very  tired  of 
Detroit. 

You  can  easily  judge,  Monsieur,  in  what  a  condition  my 
affairs  must  be  in  consequence  of  having  no  presents  belonging 
to  the  King  in  my  hands.  However,  I  dare  to  trust  to  your 
goodness  and  to  hope  that  you  will  not  suffer  a  poor  devil  to 
be  reduced  to  beggary. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be  with  very  profound  respect,  Mon- 
sieur, your  very  humble  and  very  obedient  servant, 

Dubuisson. 
Au  Fort  du  Detroit,  Pontchartrain,  June  15,  1712. 

In  his  memoirs  sur  le  Canada,  Gedeon  de  Catalogne  de- 
scribes thus  the  destruction  of  the  Foxes  at  Detroit  in  1712. 
It  is  at  all  times  well  to  notice  that  M.  de  Catalogne  was  then 
at  Quebec.  He  tells  his  story  by  hearsay.  He  was  not  an 
eye-witness.  That  explains  the  variations  of  his  version  from 
that  of  M.  Buisson. 

"It  is  well  to  know  that  when  M.  de  Lamothe  was  at 
Detroit,  wishing  to  attract  the  commerce  of  all  the  nations  to 
his  fort,  he  sent  belts  to  the  Mascoutins  and  the  Kickapoos  to 
invite  them  to  set  up  their  village  at  Detroit  where  a  place  was 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  69 

offered  them.  They  accepted  his  offer  and  having  come  to 
the  number  of  about  forty  families,  they  made  a  fort  in  the 
place  which  was  assigned  to  them. 

"As  this  nation  is  feared  and  hated  by  the  other  nations, 
by  reason  of  its  arrogance,  a  conspiracy  began  to  be  stirred  up 
against  those  who  had  settled  at  Detroit.  And  in  1712  S.  de 
Buisson  being  in  command  at  Detroit,  the  conspiring  Hurons 
and  the  Outaouacs  to  the  number  of  about  900  men  repaired 
to  the  French  fort,  to  whom  this  commander  opened  the  door 
where  they  entered  suddenly  and  ascending  the  bastions  which 
looked  out  over  the  fort  of  the  Foxes  on  whom  they  fired 
several  rounds  of  musketry. 

"One  of  the  chiefs  of  the  Foxes  raised  his  voice  and  spoke 
to  the  French  in  these  words:  'What  does  this  mean?  You 
have  invited  us  to  come  and  live  near  you  and  while  your 
word  is  still  fresh  in  our  ears  you  declare  war  upon  us.  What 
reason  have  we  given  you  for  it?  Apparently,  my  father,  you 
no  longer  remember  that  there  are  no  nations,  among  those 
who  call  themselves  your  children,  who  have  not  imbrued  their 
hands  in  the  blood  of  the  French.  I  am  the  only  one  to  whom 
you  cannot  make  reproaches  and  yet  you  join  our  enemies  to 
eat  us  up.  But  remember  that  the  Fox  is  immortal  and  if  in 
defending  myself  I  spill  the  blood  of  the  French,  my  father 
must  not  reproach  me.    And  remember  several  other  facts.' 

"His  audience  finished,  which  was  often  interrupted  by 
the  musketry,  The  Fox  responded  in  kind  very  well  and  worked 
night  and  day  to  dig  caves  in  their  fort  in  which  to  place  their 
families  under  shelter  from  the  fire  of  the  armies.  On  the 
fourteenth  day  the  Fox,  beginning  to  lack  everything  to  sus- 
tain life,  raised  his  voice  again  in  these  words  :  'My  father,  I 
no  longer  address  myself  to  you.  I  speak  to  those  women 
who  are  hidden  in  your  fort  that  if  they  are  as  brave  as  they 
are  said  to  be,  that  they  will  select  eighty  of  the  best  warriors 
to  whom  I  promise  and  you  shall  be  witness  of  it,  my  father. 


70  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

that  I  will  oppose  against  them  only  twenty,  and  if  the  eighty 
conquer  I  consent  to  be  their  slave  and  if  on  the  contrary  the 
twenty  conquer  the  eighty  warriors,  they  shall  be  our  slaves/ 
No  reply  was  made  to  all  his  propositions  except  by  musketry, 
but  no  one  was  killed. 

"The  eighteenth  day  having  come,  and  the  Foxes  being 
entirely  exhausted,  since  for  six  days  they  had  eaten  nothing, 
they  went  out  of  their  fort  at  night  with  their  families  without 
being  discovered.  At  daybreak  the  French  were  accustomed 
to  fire  several  discharges  of  musketry  from  their  fort  on  that 
of  the  Foxes,  who  replied  on  their  side.  But  on  this  day,  there 
was  no  more  firing  from  their  fort,  which  caused  the  French 
so  much  curiosity  that  they  went  to  the  fort  of  the  Foxes, 
where  they  found  no  one.  At  the  time  the  chiefs  asked  M.  de 
Buisson  that  S.  de  Vincennes,  with  a  number  of  Frenchmen, 
should  march  at  their  head  in  pursuit  of  the  Foxes. 

"Since  the  Foxes  were  starving  they  stopped  on  a  peninsula 
to  pasture  their  cattle.  It  was  possible  to  get  to  them  only  by 
a  defile,  which  they  had  taken  care  to  guard.  When  the  be- 
siegers arrived  there,  closing  the  Foxes'  way  of  escape,  firing 
began  on  both  sides. 

"The  Fox  seeing  himself  cut  off  from  escape,  lifted  his 
voice  again  to  speak  to  M.  de  Vincennes,  who  had  already 
shouted  to  them  to  surrender:  'We  wish  to  surrender  to  you. 
Reply  to  me  immediately.  Tell  me,  my  father,  if  there  is  any 
quarter  for  our  families.    Reply  to  me.' 

"The  S.  de  Vincennes  shouted  to  him  that  he  would  grant 
them  their  lives.  Immediately  the  Fox  put  down  his  arms 
and  when  he  went  to  meet  the  allies  in  an  instant  they  were 
surrounded  and  all  the  Foxes  cut  in  pieces  before  they  could 
reach  their  arms.  The  women  and  children  were  taken  as 
slaves  and  the  greater  part  of  them  sold  to  the  French. 

"Thus  perished  the  Foxes  whom  M.  de  Lamothe  had  in- 
vited to  Detroit.    As  soon  as  the  Mascoutins  and  Kickapoos  of 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  71 

the  great  villages  learned  of  this  action  they  sent  several  parties 
into  the  field,  some  to  le  Baye,  others  to  Detroit  and  to  all  ave- 
nues of  approach,  making  all  the  other  nations  flee  who  did  not 
dare  resist  their  approach,  until  M.  de  Louvigny  besieged  them 
in  their  fort  where  they  were  well  retrenched.  Nevertheless, 
on  account  of  bombs,  they  were  forced  to  surrender.  Their 
life  was  granted  to  them  by  M.  de  Louvigny  in  spite  of  the 
opinion  and  advice  of  the  other  nations  who  wished  to  exter- 
minate them." 

M.  de  Vincennes,  as  we  have  just  seen,  had  been  sent  to 
Quebec  by  M.  de  Buisson  to  inform  M.  de  Vaudreuil  of  the 
success  of  the  French  arms  against  the  Foxes.  By  a  letter 
from  M.  de  Vaudreuil  to  the  minister  dated  Quebec,  Nov.  6, 
1712,  we  see  that  M.  de  Vincennes  returned  the  same  autumn 
of  1712  among  the  Miamis  of  the  St.  Joseph  river.* 

In  1715  a  party  of  the  Miamis  of  the  St.  Joseph  river  were 
about  to  settle  on  the  Maumee  river  near  the  actual  site  of  Fort 
Wayne,  Indiana.  M.  de  Vincennes,  who  commanded  them, 
followed  them.  From  there  he  wrote  to  MM.  de  Ramezay  and 
Begon  that  the  English  of  Carolina  were  having  recourse  to 
every  sort  of  expedient  to  persuade  the  Miamis  to  join  them.f 

From  a  resume  of  a  letter  of  Governor  de  Vaudreuil  sub- 
mitted to  the  council  of  the  Marine,  June  28,  1716,  we  see  that 
the  allied  nations  of  the  upper  country  lived  then  in  harmony 
and  were  well  disposed  toward  the  Foxes,  their  enemy. 

M.  de  Vaudreuil  said  :  "S.  de  Ramezay  has  been  informed 
by  Sr.  de  Vincennes,  officer  detached  to  the  Miamis  and  the 
Ouiatanons  that  the  Iroquais  have  sent  belts  to  this  nation 
under  the  earth,  which  means  secret  signs  by  which  they  invite 
them  to  seek  the  necessities  of  life  at  a  post  established  on  the 
Oyo  river.    (This  post  is  a  new  settlement  of  the  English  from 

♦T.  Saint-Pierre,  Histoire  des  Canadiens  du  Michigan,  p.  109. 
tO'Callaghan,  Documents  Relative  to  the  Colonial  History  of  the 
State  of  New  York.  vol.  IX,  p.  931. 


72  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

Carolina.)  That  they  will  find  there  merehandise,  a  halt 
cheaper  than  among  the  French  who  trrannize  over  them." 

Sr.  Vincennes  replied  that  all  the  Miamis,  fathers  and  sons, 
were  children  of  Onontio  (the  French  governor)  and  that  they 
would  never  cease  to  obey  him.  The  same  Ouiatamons  sent  to 
Sr.  de  Ramezay  a  young  slave  to  repeat,  to  him,  for  them  the 
request  which  they  had  made  last  year  for  an  officer  to  assist 
in  their  council,  for  a  missionary  to  instruct,  and  for  a  black- 
smith to  repair  their  arms.  The  Marquis  de  Vaudreuil  ought 
to  grant  their  request,  following  the  intention  of  the  council. 
He  ought  to  take  particular  care  to  garrison  all  the  posts.  It 
is  of  the  last  consequence,  above  all  to  establish  firmly  those 
of  the  south  where  the  English  of  Pennsylvania,  Carolina  and 
Virginia  are  very  anxious  to  enter.  That  would  rain  not  only 
the  commerce  of  Canada  but  also  that  of  Louisiana  by  means 
of  the  communication  of  the  rivers  which  flow  into  the  great 
river  Mississippi." 

June  26,  1717,  the  king  ordered  a  letter  written  to  MM.  de 
Vaudreuil  and  Begon  that  he  was  well  pleased  to  learn  that 
M.  de  Vincennes  had  prevented  the  Miamis  and  the  Ouiata- 
mons from  accepting  the  belts  of  the  English.  His  majesty 
hoped  that  the  sending  of  scarlet  cloth  would  turn  the  savages 
away  from  commerce  with  the  English. 

We  see  from  a  letter  from  M.  de  Vaudreuil  to  the  minis- 
ter, Oct.  30,  1718,  that  M.  de  Vincennes  was  then  at  his  post 
among  the  Miamis.* 

Oct.  28,  1719,  M.  de  Vaudreuil  announced  to  the  Council  of 
Marine  the  death  of  M.  de  Vincennes.  "It  seems  to  me  that 
it  is  very  necessary  that  M.  de  Buisson  continue  to  serve  in  this 
country,  since  he  is  more  capable  than  any  other  officer  of  the 
government.  The  Ouiatanons  and  the  Miamis  know  him  and 
esteem  him.  He  has  a  great  reputation  among  them  since  the 
defeat  of  the  Foxes  at  Detroit  where  he  was  in  command  dur- 

*  Archives  du  Canada,  Correspondence  générale,  vol.  39. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  73 

ing  the  absence  of  Sr.  Laforest  and  where  the  Miamis  and  the 
Ouitatanons  came  to  trade,  their  village  being  not  far  distant 
from  that  post.  These  two  nations  have  not  yet  made  any 
move  to  go,  the  one  to  the  St.  Joseph  river  and  the  other  to 
the  Teatiky.  They  promised  me,  by  speeches  which  I  received 
from  them  last  summer,  that  they  would  not  fail  to  go  to  those 
places  this  autumn,  but  they  have  changed  their  mind,  since 
that  time,  because  I  learned  by  the  last  letters  which  have  come 
to  me  from  the  Miamis  that  the  Sr.  de  Vincennes,  being  dead 
in  their  village,  the  Indians  have  decided  not  to  go  to  the  river 
St.  Joseph,  but  to  stay  where  they  are."$ 

The  Miamis  preserved  for  a  long  time  the  memory  of  M. 
de  Vincennes.  Thirty  years  after  his  death,  as  we  shall  see  by 
the  following  little  incident,  the  French  used  his  name  to  work 
upon  the  minds  of  these  savages.  After  his  arrival  in  New 
France,  in  1747,  M.  de  la  Galisonnière  realized  the  importance 
for  France  to  have  a  road  of  communication  between  her  two 
colonies  of  New  France  and  of  Louisiana.  With  this  object 
in  view,  he  decided  to  send  an  expedition  to  take  formal  pos- 
session of  the  Ohio  valley,  which  English  traders  were  begin- 
ning to  frequent.  He  needed  to  accomplish  this  task,  a  capable 
officer  of  tact  and  influence  among  the  savages.  Pierre- Joseph 
Céloron  de  Blainville,  captain  of  a  company  of  troops  of  a 
detachment  of  the  Marine,  had  all  these  qualities.  He  was  sent 
into  this  distant  region.  The  instructions  which  M.  de  la  Gali- 
sonnière sent  him,  were,  to  journey  over  this  immense  country, 
to  go  among  the  different  nations  who  inhabited  it,  to  persuade 
them  to  follow  him,  to  be  witnesses  of  what  he  did  and  above 
all  to  allow  no  English  to  come  to  trade  among  them. 

The  expedition  left  Lachine,  June  15,  1749.  M.  de  Céloron 
had  under  his  orders,  a  captain,  M.  Pécaudy  de  Contrecoeur, 

t  Archives  du  Canada,  Correspondence  générale,  vol.  40;  O'Cal- 
laghan,  Documents  Relative  to  the  Colonial  History  of  the  State  of 
New  York.  vol.  LX.  p.  894. 


74  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

eight  subaltern  officers,  six  cadets,  twenty  troopers,  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  Canadians  and  about  thirty  savages,  Iroquois 
and  Abenakis. 

Sept.  13,  1749,  almost  three  months  after  its  departure 
from  Lachine,  the  expedition  arrived  at  the  village  of  la 
Demoiselle  near  la  Roche  river,  inhabited  by  the  Miamis.  M. 
de  Celeron  waited  five  days  in  this  village  for  a  Miami  inter- 
preter, whom  he  had  requested  from  M.  de  Raymond,  com- 
mandant of  the  post  of  Kiskakon.  The  interpreter  not  arriving, 
M.  de  Céloron  decided  to  speak  to  the  Miamis  through  an 
Iroquois,  who  spoke  their  language  well.  M.  de  Céloron  got 
along  very  easily  with  the  Miamis  who  were  clever  fellows.  In 
the  name  of  the  governor  of  New  France,  he  offered  them  eight 
strings  of  wampum.  These  presents  were  given  to  them  to 
leave  the  villages  of  la  Demoiselle  on  the  La  Roche  river  and 
Baril  on  the  White  river. 

The  interpreter  accompanied  the  presentation  with  the  fol- 
lowing discourse:  "My  children,  the  fact  that  I  am  treating 
with  you  in  spite  of  what  you  have  done  to  the  French,  to  sup- 
port your  women  and  children  ought  to  prove  to  you  the  attach- 
ment which  I  have  for  you  and  the  integrity  of  my  sentiments. 
I  forget  what  you  have  done  and  bury  it  deep  in  the  earth, 
that  I  may  never  remember  it  again,  persuaded  that  you  have 
done  nothing  except  at  the  instigation  of  a  nation  whose  policy 
it  is  to  trouble  the  earth  and  to  ruin  the  mind  of  those  who 
communicate  with  them,  and  who  rise,  profiting  by  the  mis- 
fortune of  others.  These  people  you  have  allowed  to  get  con- 
trol of  you.  They  have  caused  you  to  do  wrong  and  have 
persuaded  you  to  evil  deeds,  without  appearing  themselves  to 
take  in  them  any  part,  in  order  to  separate  you  from  me.  I 
am  sending  you  my  word  to  clear  your  minds.  Listen  to  it 
well  and  give  your  attention  to  it,  my  children.  It  is  the  word 
of  a  father  who  loves  you  and  to  whom  your  interests  are 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  75 

dear.  1  extinguish  by  these  two  strings  of  wampum  the  two 
fires  which  you  lighted  two  years  ago  on  the  Rocky  river  and 
the  White  river.  I  extinguish  them  in  such  a  way  that  no 
spark  will  ever  rise  from  them  again." 

Always  in  the  name  of  the  governor  of  New  France  M.  de 
Céloron  offered  them  a  belt  to  the  Miamis  of  the  villages  of 
la  Demoiselle  and  Baril.  This  new  present,  richer  and  more 
important,  was  to  ask  the  Miamis  to  return  to  their  ancient 
village  where  M.  de  Bissot  de  Vincennes  died  thirty  years  be- 
fore. Let  us  listen  to  the  interpreter  speaking  in  the  name  of 
M.  de  Galissonnière  :  "My  children,  I  desire  to  tell  you  by 
these  strings  of  wampum  that  I  have  extinguished  the  fires  that 
you  have  lighted  on  the  Rocky  river  and  on  the  White  river. 
By  these  belts  I  lift  for  you  your  rush  mats  and  I  take  you  by 
the  hand  to  lead  you  to  Kiskakon,  where  I  will  relight  your 
fire  and  settle  you  more  firmly  than  ever.  In  this  land,  my 
children,  you  will  enjoy  perfect  tranquillity,  where  I  am  ready 
every  instant  to  give  you  signs  of  my  friendship.  In  this  land, 
my  children,  you  will  enjoy  the  sweetness  of  life,  being  the 
place  where  repose  the  bones  of  your  ancestors  and  those  of 
M.  de  Vincennes,  whom  you  have  loved  so  much  and  who 
always  governed  you,  so  that  your  affairs  were  prosperous.  If 
you  have  forgotten  the  councils  which  they  gave  you,  these 
ashes  will  recall  them  to  your  memory.  The  bones  of  your 
ancestors  suffer  from  your  absence.  Have  pity  of  these  words 
which  call  you  back  to  your  village.  Follow  with  your  women 
and  your  children.  The  chief  whom  I  send  you  brings  you  my 
word  and  will  light  anew  your  fire  at  Kiskakon  so  that  it  will 
never  be  extinguished.  I  will  give  you  all  the  aid  you  have 
reason  to  expect  from  my  friendship,  and  think,  my  children. 
that  I  am  doing  for  you  that  which  I  have  never  done  for  any 
other  nation." 


76  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

FRANCOIS-JOSEPH  BISSOT. 
(Uncle  of  François  Marie  Bissot  de  Vincennes.) 

Born  at  Quebec,  May  19,  1673,  of  the  marriage  François 
Bissot  de  la  Rivière  and  of  Marie  Couillard. 

Nov.  9,  1695,  François-Joseph  Bissot,  Charles-François 
Bissot,  Louis  Jolliet  and  Charles  Jolliet  formed  a  five  years' 
partnership  to  go  to  Mingan  to  make  a  deal  in  the  land  of 
François  Bissot  de  la  Rivière  from  Egg  Island  to  the  Bay  of 
the  Spaniards.  The  partnership  did  not  last  long  since  the 
following  year  the  Bissot  heirs,  thinking  that  they  could  not 
enjoy  nor  make  profitable  the  shares  which  they  possessed  in 
the  seigniory  of  Mingan,  rented  and  farmed  out  the  seigniory 
of  Mingan  to  Louis  Jolliet  for  five  years. 

After  the  death  of  Louis  Jolliet  in  1700  his  sons  formed  a 
partnership  with  Charles-François  Bissot  and  François-Joseph 
Bissot  to  carry  on  the  enterprise  at  Mingan.  On  March  30, 
1708,  François  Bissot,  Jean-Baptiste  Demeules  and  Joseph 
Guion  de  Rouvray  formed  a  partnership  for  five  years  to  make 
a  settlement  in  a  place  called  the  Three  Islands  on  the  north 
coast  of  Newfoundland  where  they  were  to  hunt,  to  fish  and 
to  trade.  The  hired  men  who  were  to  make  the  voyage  with 
the  partners  were  named  Labarre,  Argencourt,  Rousseau,  Bon- 
homme, Paul  Martel  and  Rasset. 

Oct.  24,  1731,  MM.  Beauharnois  and  Hocquart  wrote  to  the 
minister  :  "Srs.  Bissot  and  Cheron,  merchants  and  navigators, 
of  the  city  of  Quebec,  have  requested  of  us  that  it  be  per- 
mitted to  them  to  search  for  the  anchors  lost  in  this  roadstead, 
on  the  condition  that  those  which  they  recover  shall  belong  to 
them,  without  their  being  compelled  to  pay  the  rights  which 
belong  to  Mgr.  the  Count  of  Toulouse,  on  account  of  the  ex- 
pense they  will  be  under  in  recovering  these  old  sea  marks. 
For  their  success  is  uncertain  on  account  of  the  difficulty  and 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  77 

the  risks  which  they  may  find.  Nothing  could  be  more  ad- 
vantageous to  commerce  than  this  enterprise.  Wherefore  I 
beg  you,  Mgr.,  to  authorize  them  to  do  it  and  to  make  his 
highness  agree  to  give  up  the  third  part  which  belongs  to  him 
in  everything  that  is  brought  up  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea 
according  to  Article  X  of  the  first  title  of  the  first  book  of  the 
ordinance  of  1681.  The  accidents  which  happened  daily  to 
vessels  by  striking  these  lost  anchors,  which  chafe  and  cut 
their  ropes  and  send  them  into  the  coast  are  the  motives  which 
cause  us  to  request  of  you  orders  on  the  proposition  which 
these  men  have  made  us." 

In  1733,  François-Joseph  Bissot  wrote  to  Minister  de 
Maurepas  to  obtain  from  his  majesty  his  continuance  in  the 
possession  of  the  seigniory  of  Mingan  granted  to  his  late 
father,  François  Bissot  de  la  Rivière  by  the  Company  of  the 
Indies  in  February,  1661.  M.  Bissot  explained  to  the  minister 
that  since  the  retrocession  of  the  colony  by  the  company  of 
the  Indies  to  his  majesty,  there  had  been  established  a  domain 
which  at  first  was  bordered  by  the  concession  of  his  father  but 
which  later  took  in  a  third  of  his  seigniory.  M.  Bissot  said 
further  that  the  original  title  granted  to  his  father  in  1661  had 
been  destroyed  in  a  fire  of  the  lower  city  of  Quebec. 

The  suppliant,  added  he,  has  recourse  to  Your  Highness  to 
beg  that  you  obtain  from  his  Majesty  that  he  be  preserved  in 
the  possession  which  he  has,  to  keep  his  concession  from  the 
limit  of  the  domain  which  is  at  present  from  Cormorant  Point 
going  down  the  river  to  the  land  granted,  and  the  exclusive 
privilege  of  maintaining  there  along  his  settlements  and  of 
making  new  ones  if  it  is  possible.  To  kill  seals,  with  the  rights 
of  hunting  and  of  trading  with  the  Indians,  which  his  late 
father  possessed  and  wheh  he  has  enjoyed  more  than  sixty 
years.  He  dares,  moreover,  Mgr.,  to  be  sure  of  the  justice 
of  your  highness  on  this  occasion,  since  the  favor,  which  he 
takes  the  liberty  to  ask,  is  the  fruit  of  his  labor  and  of  the  ex- 


7&  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

penditures  which  he  has  made  in  places  which  seemed  inacces- 
sible and  where  he  has  placed  the  little  property  which  his 
father  left  him.  Having  nothing  else  by  which  to  support  his 
family  it  would  be  very  sad  for  him,  Mgr.,  to  see  disorder  rule 
in  this  place  for  several  years  among  the  savages,  whom  he  has 
always  kept  in  sentiments  of  Christianity  and  who  are  only 
under  the  authority  of  the  French  who  come  there  by  favor  of 
the  permission  they  obtained  to  go  fish  for  cod  on  the  coast  of 
Labrador,  and  who  by  the  commerce  in  brandy  destroy  entire 
families  and  ruin  at  the  same  time  the  suppliant  by  the  loss  of 
sums  of  money  on  the  credit  which  he  is  obliged  to  give  the 
Indians  to  keep  them  from  seeking  their  necessities  from  the 
English  of  Hudson  Bay,  as  they  did  before  the  suppliant 
hunted  them  up  for  more  than  a  hundred  miles  inland  to  attract 
them  to  Ih  sea  coast. 

Minister  Maurepas  had  at  that  time  too  many  important 
affairs  on  his  hands  to  concern  himself  with  the  request  of  M. 
Bissot.    It  was  put  in  his  drawer  and  forgotten. 

March  15,  1736,  François-Joseph  Bissot  gave  a  lease  on 
the  farm  for  nine  years  of  all  the  rights  possessed  by  him  in 
the  seigniory  of  Mingan  to  Jean-Louis  Volant  d'  Hautebourg, 
a  lawyer  of  Quebec.  The  latter  promised  to  pay  to  M.  Bissot 
for  each  year  of  his  lease  a  sum  of  twelve  hundred  livres. 

In  1737  M.  Bissot  made  a  new  effort  to  obtain  from  Min- 
ister Maurepas  the  confirmation  to  the  concession  of  Mingan. 
In  his  own  name  and  in  that  of  the  other  heirs  of  the  late 
François  Bissot  de  la  Rivière  he  addressed  a  new  petition  to 
M.  de  Maurepas.  The  considerations  of  this  new  petition  were 
almost  the  same  as  those  of  the  one  he  had  presented  in  1733. 
He  finished  by  saying  :  "Monsieur,  the  suppliant  has  recourse 
to  your  Highness  to  prevent  a  very  great  wrong  being  done  to 
him.  He  begs  to  be  maintained  in  his  possession  of  that  which 
remains  to  him  of  the  land  which  extends  from  the  cape  of  the 
Dead  Bodies.    Especially  since  it  appears  by  the  ordinance  of 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  79 

M.  Hocquart  that  it  extends  to  the  limit  of  the  concession  ac- 
corded to  Sr.  de  Lafontaine.  It  is  very  hard  for  him,  that 
after  a  possession  of  seventy  years  without  interruption  in 
places  that  were  up  to  his  time  inaccessible,  he  should  see  him- 
self despoiled  of  it,  little  by  little.  The  act  of  faith  and  homage 
of  which  he  has  the  honor  to  affix  a  certified  copy  proves  that 
this  land  was  granted  to  his  father.  His  possession  of  seventy 
years  and  more,  cannot  be  disputed.  Therefore,  Mgr.,  he  dares 
to  hope  that  the  justice  of  Your  Highness  will  hasten  to  make 
for  him  a  new  brevet  of  concessions  from  His  Majesty  of  the 
tract  of  land  mentioned  above.  The  ordinance  of  M.  Hoc- 
quart  refers  to  it.  His  co-heirs  appoint  him  to  appear  before 
His  Majesty  to  obtain  this  from  him.  He  begs  Your  High- 
ness not  to  refuse  him  this  favor  that  he  may  in  his  old  age 
enjoy  the  tranquillity  which  his  labors  in  these  places  ought  to 
allow  him." 

On  April  9,  1738,  Minister  Maurepas  brought  the  demand 
of  François  Bissot  to  the  attention  of  MM.  de  Beauharnois  and 
Hocquart  and  he  added  "if  it  should  be  agreeable  to  you  to 
verify  the  facts  which  he  has  shown  and  to  inform  me  of  them 
giving  me  your  advice  about  the  request  he  has  made,  in  order 
that  I  may  place  His  Majesty  in  a  condition  to  decide  that 
which  he  may  judge  proper.  If  you  judge  that  it  would  be 
just  to  grant  the  confirmation  requested,  will  you  take  care  to 
explain  to  me  clearly  the  situation  and  the  limits  of  the  land. 
But  in  the  examination  which  you  make  of  this  affair,  will  you 
care  to  propose  nothing  which  could  harm  the  domain  of  His 
Majesty." 

The  letter  of  Minister  de  Maurepas  to  MM.  de  Beauharnois 
and  Hocquart  arrived  like  mustard  after  dinner,  since  it  came 
to  Quebec  almost  a  year  after  the  death  of  François  Bissot. 
He  in  truth  had  died  at  Quebec  Dec.  11,  1737. 

In  a  "Petition  to  justify  the  possession  of  the  Bissot  and 


80  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

Jolliet  heirs  to  the  post  of  Mingan  situated  on  the  north  shore 
of  the  river  St.  Lawrence  on  terra  firma"  presented  to  the 
Count  of  Halifax,  secretary  of  state  on  Oct.  23,  1763,  by  M. 
Lafontaine  de  Belcour,  son-in-law  of  M.  de  Bissot,  we  read  : 
"After  his  death  (François  Bissot  de  la  Rivière),  Sr.  François 
Bissot,  the  eldest  of  his  children,  continued  to  live  at  Mingan 
for  forty  years  with  his  family  and  continued  there  the  same 
estates  that  his  father  had  developed  jointly  with  Sr.  Jolliet, 
who  had  married  one  of  the  sisters  of  François  Bissot,  whence 
comes  the  right  of  the  descendents  of  Sr.  Jolliet  in  the  post  of 
Mingan.  In  1733,  Sr.  Bissot,  the  grandfather,  retired  to  Que- 
bec, rented  the  post  to  Sr.  de  Lafontaine,  his  son-in-law,  a 
lease  which  was  not  to  last  longer  than  a  year.  Then  Sr. 
Volant  rented  it  from  Sr.  Bissot  and  the  Jolliet  heirs. 

ACT  OF  THE  MARRIAGE  OF  JEAN  BAPTISTE  BIS- 
SOT DE  VINCENNES  AND  OF  MARGUERITE 
FORESTIER. 

(Montreal,  September  19,  1696.) 

On  the  19th  day  of  September,  1696,  was  made  and  solem- 
nised the  marriage  between  Jean  Baptiste  Bissot  de  Vincennes, 
officer  in  the  detachment  of  the  marine,  age  27  years,  son  of 
François  Bissot  and  of  Marie  Couillard,  of  the  Parish  of  Notre 
Dame  of  Quebec,  and  Marguerite  Forestier,  age  21  years, 
daughter  of  Antoine  Forestier,  surgeon,  and  of  Madeleine  de 
Cauclier,  her  father  and  mother  of  this  parish.  He  has  paid 
for  the  three  bans  granted  by  M.  Dollier,  Grand  Vicar.  The 
said  marriage  was  made  in  the  presence  of  Antoine  Forestier, 
father  of  the  girl,  Séraphin  Margane,  Sr.  de  la  Valterie,  Cap- 
tain of  the  detachment  of  the  marine,  brother-in-law  of  the 
groom;  Charles  le  Gardeur,  Esq.,  Sr.  de  ITsle,  officer  of  the 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  81 

troupes;  jean  Boudor,  merchane,  and  Bernard  Arnaud,  mer- 
chant.    Robert  le  Cauclier,  grandfather  of  the  bride. 

Vinsenne 

LaValterie 

J.  Boudor 

LeCavelier 

Marguerite  Forestier 

Le  Gardeur  Delisle 

Arnaud 

A.  Forestier 

M.  Caille,  discharging  the  function  of  Cure. 

ACTE  OF  THE  BIRTH  OF  FRANCOIS-MARIE  BISSOT 
DE  VINCENNES. 

(Montreal,  June  17,  1700.) 

On  the  17th  of  June,  1700,  was  baptised  François-Marie, 
son  of  Jean  Bissot,  Sr.  of  Vincennes,  officer  in  the  troops,  and 
of  Marguerite  Forestier,  his  wife.  He  was  born  the  same 
day  of  the  said  month  and  year.  His  godfather  was  Francois 
Margane,  esq.,  Sr.  de  Batilly,  also  officer  in  the  troops.  His 
godmother  was  Marie  Magd.  Forestier,  daughter  of  Sr.  For- 
estier, surgeon. 

Batilly 

M.  Magdelaine  Forestier 

R.  C.  De  Breslay  P.  I.,  acting  as  cure. 

FRANCOIS-MARIE  BISSOT  DE  VINCENNES 

(Founder  of  Vincennes.) 

Born  at  Montreal,  June  17,  1700,  of  the  marriage  of  Jean- 
Baptist  Bissot  de  Vincennes,  officer  in  the  troops,  and  of  Mar- 
gueritte  Forestier.   He  was  baptized  the  same  day  by  M.  l'abbé 


c'2  SlEUK    DE   VlNCENNES   IDENTIFIED 

do  Breslay.  His  godfather  was  his  cousin,  François  Margane 
de  Batilly,  officer  in  the  troops,  and  his  godmother,  his  aunt 
Marie-Madeline  Forestier. 

Here  is  the  explanation  of  the  error  made  by  most  of  the 
historians  on  the  subject  of  the  founder  of  Vincennes.  Fran- 
çois-Marie Bissot  de  Vincennes  sometimes  signed  his  name 
Margane  de  Vincennes,  whence  the  conclusion  has  been  drawn 
that  it  was  not  a  Bissot  de  Vincennes  but  a  Margane  of  Laval- 
trie.  Under  the  French  regime  a  number  of  Canadians 
adopted  as  a  middle  name  the  name  of  their  godfather  in 
preference  to  those  which  they  had  received  in  baptism.  In 
signing  his  name  Margane  de  Vincennes  the  founder  of  Indi- 
ana was  only  honoring  his  godfather  and  following  a  com- 
mon custom.* 

After  1718  the  young  de  Vincennes  served  with  his  father 
among  the  Miamis  as  a  cadet.  On  May  20,  1722,  François- 
Marie  Bissot  de  Vincennes  was  made  a  half  pay  ensign  of 
Louisiana,  t 

On  October  24,  1722,  Governor  de  Vaudreuil  wrote  to  the 
Council  of  Marine  :  "I  have  received  the  letter  which  the 
council  has  done  me  the  honor  to  write  to  me  on  the  four- 
teenth of  last  June  by  which  it  had  the  goodness  to  inform  me 
that  his  royal  Highness  approved  of  the  plans  which  I  had 
made  to  attract  the  savages  to  the  St.  Joseph  river  and  to  the 
Teatiky  to  form  settlements  there,  and  of  the  part  which  I 
have  taken  in  sending  M.  de  Buisson,  captain,  to  establish  a 
post  among  the  Miamis  and  to  be  in  command  of  this  post, 
as  well  as  of  that  of  the  Ouyatanons  and  to  have  him  sent  to 
the  Miamis,  to  prevent  the  effect  of  the  practices  which  the 
English  continue  to  use,  to  attract  the  Indians  to  Orange.     I 

*This  custom  is  still  very  much  in  vogue  in  our  time, 
f  Alphabet  Laffilard,  vol.  11,  p.  319.    The  same  Alphabet  gives  also 
the  date  Oeotber  19,  1722. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  83 

tried  to  take  the  most  just  measures  to  stop  these  practices 
or  at  least  to  render  them  useless  and  I  hope  to  succeed  by  the 
name  of  Sr.  de  Buisson  who  formerly  wiped  away  the  anger 
of  a  part  of  these  savages  on  an  occasion  when  they  were  not 
allowed  to  have  any  more  French  brandy.  By  his  wisdom  he 
knew  how  to  manage  them  in  such  a  way  that  in  the  end  he 
succeeded  in  making  them  more  docile  than  they  were  before. 

"The  log  fort  which  he  had  built  and  which  was  finished 
last  May  is  the  finest  in  the  upper  country.  It  is  a  strong  fort 
and  safe  from  insult  from  the  savages.  This  post  which  is 
of  considerable  extent  ought  to  have  a  missionary.  One  could 
be  sent  there  in  1724  if  next  year  the  council  will  send  to 
Canada  the  four  Jesuits  which  I  ask. 

"The  band  of  forty  or  fifty  Ouyatanons  who  have  settled 
on  the  Teatiky  decided  to  return  to  their  ancient  dwelling  when 
they  saw  that  most  of  the  nation  did  not  wish  to  abandon  it. 
The  Sr.  de  Vincennes'  son,  who  is  only  a  cadet  in  the  troops, 
is  in  command  of  this  nation  under  the  orders  of  Sieur  de 
Buisson.  He  has  been  there  since  1718  and  he  is  very  useful 
on  account  of  the  great  credit  which  he  has  acquired  among 
these  savages  who  preserve  for  him  the  same  attachment  which 
they  had  for  Sr.  de  Vincennes,  his  father.  His  services  de- 
serve that  the  council  should  desire  to  give  him  their  atten- 
tion. If  I  had  foreseen  the  establishment  which  the  king  has 
made  this  year  of  a  second  ensign  in  each  one  of  the  twenty- 
eight  companies  that  his  Majesty  maintains  in  Canada,  I  would 
have  had  the  honor  to  propose  him  to  the  council,  to  have  one 
of  the  places  which  were  not  yet  filled  by  petty  ensigns  as  they 
are  at  present.  But  since  there  are  three  second  ensigns  with 
letters  of  service  who  ought  not  to  be  received  in  this  rank 
except  in  those  places  which  will  come  to  be  vacant  in  the 
future,  I  beg  the  council  very  humbly  to  grant  similar  letters  of 
service  to  the   Sr.    de   Vincennes   in  order   that  he  may  be 


84  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

received  in  the  first  place  which  may  be  vacant  after  the  Srs. 
Le  Verrier,  Sadrevois  and  Lignery  have  been  received.''* 

In  1723  when  he  was  accused  before  the  minister  of  not 
lending  aid  and  assistance  to  the  government  of  Louisiana  the 
Marquis  de  Vaudreuil  defended  himself  energetically.  On 
October  11,  1723,  M.  de  Vaudreuil  enumerated  to  the  min- 
ister all  the  means  he  had  taken  to  assist  louisiana.  He  used 
the  occasion  to  make  known  the  merit  of  M.  de  Vincennes  : 
''After  what  I  have  done  in  1719,  as  well  as  in  this  year,  to 
prevent  the  Abenakis  from  going  to  live  among  the  Foxes,  for 
which  I  was  greatly  thanked  by  a  letter  which  Father  Aubry, 
their  missionary,  wrote  me  the  third  of  this  month,  of  which 
I  enclose  a  copy,  I  leave  you  to  judge,  Mgr.,  if  one  has  any 
right  to  say  that  I  have  no  regard  for  what  happens  to  the 
government  of  Louisiana,  as  a  thing  to  which  I  ought  to  lend 
aid  and  assistance,  and  to  prevent  wars  which  could  happen 
there  on  the  part  of  the  nations  which  are  dependent  on  me. 

"Not  only  on  these  two  occasions  have  I  given  my  atten- 
tion to  this  matter  but  I  have  done  so  in  many  others  when  the 
Ouyatanons  would  have  made  war  on  the  Illinois,  if  by  the 
orders  which  I  have  always  given  to  Sr.  Vincennes  to  keep 
these  two  nations  in  peace  he  had  not  stopped  the  movements 
of  the  Ouyatanons  among  whom  he  has  all  the  credit  imagin- 
able, and  had  made  several  voyages  with  them  to  the  Illinois."* 

August  17,  1724,  M.  de  Vaudreuil  wrote  to  M.  de  Bois- 
briand,  commandant  among  the  Illinois  :  4iI  am  much  pleased 
with  the  advancement  of  Srs.  St-Ange,  father  and  son,  but  I 
am  surprised  that  you  are  thinking  of  taking  Sr.  de  Vincennes 
away  from  my  government  and  that  you  have  tried  to  make 
him  leave  a  post  where  he  is  very  necessary,  on  account  of  the 
credit  which  he  has  among  the  savage  nations  of  this  post, 

♦Archives  du  Canada,  Correspondence  générale,  vol.  44. 
"Archives  du  Canada,  Correspondence  générale,  vol.  45. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  85 

which  you  know  does  not  belong  in  any  way  to  the  government 
of  the  Mississippi.  I  would  be  very  sorry  to  be  obliged  to 
take  my  complaint  to  court,  which  I  will,  however,  have  to  do 
if  you  continue  to  try  to  take  him  away.  I  flatter  myself, 
Monsieur,  that  you  will  give  your  attention  to  this  matter  and 
that  you  will  reflect  on  the  inconveniences  which  could  come 
from  it. 

"I  wrote  last  year  for  the  advancement  of  Sr.  de  Vincennes. 
I  hope  that  the  court  has  paid  attention  to  my  representations 
and  that  he  will  have  his  advance  this  year."* 

On  February  9,  1725,  M.  Dugué  de  Boisbriand,  command- 
ant among  the  Illinois,  wrote  to  the  company  of  the  Indies  : 
"It  would  have  been  advantageous  to  establish  a  post  on  the 
Wabash,  but  since  up  to  now,  they  have  not  even  kept  up  the 
one  among  the  Illinois,  there  is  little  likelihood  that  one  could 
undertake  to  establish  this  post.  It  is,  however,  much  to  be 
feared  lest  the  English  take  possession  of  it,  which  would  lose 
us  entirely  the  colony  of  the  upper  country,  since  it  would  be 
easy  for  them  with  the  enormous  quantities  of  merchandise 
which  they  ordinarily  carry,  to  gain  all  the  savages  of  that 
district.  Will  the  company  have  the  goodness  to  reflect  well 
on  this  matter  ?"f 

On  May  11,  1725,  the  company  of  the  Indies  sent  to  M.  de 
Beauharnois,  governor  general  of  New  France,  a  memoir  in 
which  it  asserted  that  the  introduction  of  commerce  on  the 
part  of  strangers  into  Canada  would  ruin  it,  do  harm  to  the 
kingdom  and  alienate  the  savages  from  the  French.  It  sug- 
gested as  a  means  of  obviating  from  the  state,  things  so  preju- 
dicial, the  establishment  of  posts  commanded  by  competent 
officers.     It  demanded  also  the  severe  punishment  of  those 

-Archives  du  Canada,  Series  F.,  vol.  56.  p.  147. 
tPierre  Margry,  Mémoires  et  Documents  pour  servir  a  L'Histoire 
<les  Origines  Françaises  des  Paj^s  d'Outre-Mert  tome.  vol.  16,  p.  657. 


86  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

colonists  who  allowed  the  savages  to  carry  merchandise  to  the 
stranger.  It  also  demanded  that  no  Englishman  be  allowed  to 
settle  at  Montreal. 

The  company  of  the  Indies  said  to  M.  Beauharnois  that 
M.  de  Vincennes  was  the  most  capable  man  to  drive  the  Mi- 
amis  against  the  Foxes,  if  there  should  be  occasion  to  make 
war  against  them,  but  it  added  that  it  was  necessary  to  pre- 
serve the  friendship  and  the  dependence  of  all  the  savages, 
who  lived  along  the  line  of  communication  between  Canada 
and  Louisiana  in  order  to  have  nothing  to  fear  from  the  Eng- 
lish. And  for  this  end  it  demanded  the  establishment  of  a 
post  at  Wabash."* 

On  December  22,  1725,  the  company  of  the  Indies  wrote 
to  M.  de  Boisbriand:  "It  would  be  well  for  you  to  write  to 
M.  Vincennes,  who  is  among  the  Miamis,  to  beg  them  to  come 
to  an  understanding  with  the  commandant  of  the  Wabash  in 
regard  to  the  savage  nations  which  he  commands,  and  to  give 
him  information  of  the  enterprises  which  the  English  could 
start  in  that  district.  The  company  begs  Mgr.  Count  de 
Maurepas  to  be  willing  to  send  orders  to  Canada  by  the  first 
vessels  which  leave  for  Quebec,  in  order  that  Sr.  de  Vincennes 
may  be  commanded  to  act  in  conformity,  and  that  all  the  other 
officers  placed  among  the  savage  nations  of  the  government 
of  Canada  who  live  at  the  mouth  of  the  Wabash  river  may 
protect  as  much  as  they  can  the  post,  which  the  company  is 
establishing  there,  and  shall  join  together  with  the  command- 
ant there  to  drive  away  the  English,  who  may  penetrate  as 
far  as  this  river.f 

On  April  23,  1726,  M.  de  Vincennes  was  promoted  to  be 
second  ensign.*    M.  de  Beauharnois  and  Dupuy  were  told  the 

♦Rapport  sur  les  Archives  Canadiennes  for  1904,  p.  16. 
fPierre  Margry,  Mémoires  it  Documents  pour  Servir  a  l'Historic 
des  Origines  Françaises  des  Pays  d'Outremer,  vol.  6,  p.  657. 
•Alphabet  Laffilard,  vol.  11,  p.  319. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  87 

news  by  the  following  letter  of  the  council  of  Marines  (May 
14,  1726)  :  "The  six  vacancies  in  the  rank  of  second  ensign 
have  been  granted  to  Srs.  Desgly,  Lorimier,  de  Vincennes, 
Mouchy,  d'Hocquincourt,  Delage,  and  Malespine."f 

On  the  14th  of  May,  1726,  the  king  informed  MM.  de 
Beauharnois  and  Dupuy  that  the  English  had  built  two  houses 
and  some  store  houses  on  a  river  which  flowed  into  the 
Ouabache,  in  order  to  trade  there  with  the  Miamis  and  the 
Ouyatanons.  He  ordered  them  to  give  orders  to  M.  de  Vin- 
cennes that  he  get  into  communication  with  M.  de  Boisbriand, 
in  order  to  place  obstacles  against  the  expansion  of  the  English 
in  this  district. J 

On  the  30th  of  September,  1726,  the  company  of  the  Indies 
sent  to  M.  Périer,  governor  of  Louisiana,  the  following  me- 
moirs on  the  measures  which  were  to  be  taken  by  M.  Vin- 
cennes to  observe  the  conduct  of  the  English  :  "About  120 
miles  above  the  Arkansas  there  flows  into  the  Mississippi  the 
Ouabache  river  formed  of  four  other  rivers,  one  of  which  rises 
near  Lake  Erie  and  is  called  the  St.  Jerome  or  the  Ouabache, 
the  other  called  the  Ohio  rises  among  the  Iroquois,  and  the 
two  others  called  Tennessee  and  Cumberland  rise  near  Vir- 
ginia. The  country  which  these  rivers  water  abounds  in  wild 
cattle  and  is  not  yet  occupied  by  any  European  nation." 

"Since  the  first  of  these  rivers  is  the  means  of  communica- 
tion between  Louisiana  and  Canada,  and  since  this  communi- 
cation will  be  entirely  broken  if  the  Englsh  form  a  settlement 
at  the  confluence  of  one  of  these  three  other  rivers,  which 
would  expose,  at  the  same  time,  the  country  of  the  Illinois  and 
place  in  danger  all  the  upper  country  of  the  colony,  the  com- 
pany has  ordered  the  establishment  of  a  post  on  the  Wabash 
river  and  has  begged  the  governor  of  Canada  to  order  the  Sr. 

tArchives  du  Canada,  Série  B.,  vol.  42. 

^Rapport  sur  les  Archives  Canadiennes  for  1904,  p.  72. 


88  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

de  V incarnes  who  is  in  command  among  the  Ouyatanon-Mia- 
mis  settled  near  the  source  of  the  Wabash,  to  get  into  com- 
munication with  the  commandant  of  the  new  post,  to  make  this 
nation  approach  to  protect  this  post  and  also  to  observe  the 
conduct  of  the  English  and  to  drive  them  away  in  case  they 
draw  near. 

"M.  Perrier  will  see  by  the  enclosed  copies  of  the  letter 
written  to  M.  de  Boisbriand  and  of  the  memoirs  sent  to  M.  le 
count  de  Beauharnois,  what  the  company  considers  ought  to 
be  done  in  this  matter.  M.  de  Boisbriand  advises  in  reply  that 
the  lack  of  merchandise  prevents  him  from  establishing  the 
said  post  and  that  he  believes  it  necessary  to  give  the  com- 
mand of  it  to  M.  de  Vincennes,  who  is  already  half-pay  lieu- 
tenant of  infantry  at  Louisiana  and  who  can  treat  with  the 
Miamis  better  than  any  other. 

"On  the  other  hand  the  company  learns  through  M.  Des- 
liettes,  commandant  among  the  Illinois,  that  Sr.  de  Vincennes 
had  come  to  find  him  and  to  tell  him  that  he  had  learned  that 
the  English  had  already  formed  a  settlement  near  the  source 
of  the  Ohio  river,  and  that  he  had  sent  the  Sr.  de  Vincennes 
with  presents  for  the  Indians,  ordering  him  to  make  sure  of 
the  truth  of  this  news.  If  it  is  confirmed  there  is  not  a  moment 
to  lose  in  having  the  lower  part  of  the  Ohio  river  occupied  by 
the  Ouyatanons,  and  it  is  necessary  immediately  to  establish 
a  fort  on  the  Wabash  near  the  place  where  the  Cumberland 
rivers  flows  into  it.  To  place  there  in  command  an  officer 
who  can  live  in  harmony  with  the  Sr.  de  Vincennes,  whom  it 
will  not  do  at  all  to  remove  from  the  Ouyatanons,  if  one 
hopes  to  get  from  them  the  service  which  we  desire.  M.  Per- 
rier must  consider  well  this  affair  and  find  out,  if  in  giving 
eight  or  ten  soldiers  to  the  said  Sr.  de  Vincennes  with  the 
missionary  destined  for  Wabash,  he  will  not  find  himself  in 
condition  to  assure,  through  the  savages,  the  communications 
between  Louisiana  and  Canada,  and  of  preventing  the  Eng- 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  89 

lish  from  penetrating  into  our  colony,  without  obliging  the 
company  to  construct  in  the  lower  regions  of  the  Wabash 
river  a  fort,  the  expense  of  the  establishment  of  which,  and 
the  maintenance  of  a  garrison  would  be  an  object  of  con- 
sequence. 

"In  order  to  persuade  the  Sr.  de  Vincennes  to  attach  him- 
self to  the  colony  of  Louisiana,  M.  Perrier  advised  him  that 
he  would  obtain  from  the  company  for  him  an  annual  stipend 
of  three  hundred  livres  which  would  be  paid  to  him  along 
with  his  salary  of  half-pay  lieutenant."* 
des  Origines  Françaises  des  Pays  d'Outremer,  vol.  16,  p.  658. 

In  the  list  of  officers  of  the  troops  of  the  detachment  of  the 
Marine  serving  in  New  France  signed  at  Quebec  October  15, 
1729,  one  reads:    "Second  ensign;  Vincennes."f 

On  April  4,  1730,  M.  de  Vincennes  was  confirmed  half -pay 
lieutenant  of  Louisiana.  He  had  already  served  in  this  capac- 
ity several  years  without  having  the  rank. 

On  October  15,  1730,  MM.  de  Beauharnois  and  Hocquari 
wrote  to  the  minister:  "We  have  received  the  letter  which 
you  have  done  us  the  honor  to  write  to  us,  the  second  of  last 
March,  sharing  with  us  the  reflections  which  you  had  made  on 
the  means  of  preventing  the  commerce  of  the  English  with  the 
savages  and  concerning  which  it  has  pleased  you  to  ask  our 
advice. 

"To  prevent  this  commerce  it  is  necessary  to  stop  it  en- 
tirely. Which  means  that  precautions  must  be  taken  that  the 
post  of  Niagara  and  of  Fort  Frontenac  are  always  well  sup- 
plied with  merchandise  for  trading.  That  will  be  very  easy 
if  the  king's  ship  arrives  in  good  season  as  it  did  this  year. 

"As  regards  the  post  of  Detroit  and  equally  the  prevention 
of  commerce  of  the  English  with  the  savages,  it  will  be  im- 
portant to  follow  the  intentions  which  one  had  in  mind  in  the 

*Peirre  Margry,  Mémoires  et  Documents  Pour  Servir  a  1'  Histoire 
tArchives  du  Canada,  série  F.,  vol.  51. 


90  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

first  settlement  and  to  accomplish  it,  it  is  necessary  to  estab- 
lish there  a  good  garrison  in  the  beginning,  in  order  that  fol- 
lowing the  intention  of  the  court,  this  post  may  be  in  a  state 
to  maintain  good  order  and  to  make  respected  the  French  and 
the  savages. 

"It  is  certain  that  the  intentions,  which  have  been  held 
since  the  establishment  of  Detroit,  were,  in  part,  to  break  oft* 
the  liaisons  of  the  English  with  the  savages  and  to  cause  to 
cease  the  commerce  which  they  carry  on  among  them.  The 
expedient  which  we  use  to  carry  out  these  intentions  and  to 
prevent  entirely  the  association  of  the  savages  with  the  English 
might  be,  as  you  have  done  us  the  honor  to  point  out  to  us,  to 
oblige  the  Miamis  and  the  Ouyatanons  to  come  to  supply  their 
needs  at  Detroit,  not  allowing  travelers  to  carry  anything 
among  them.  But  we  think  that  there  is  cause  for  fear  lest 
the  English  go  among  the  savages,  who  will  receive  them, 
thinking  that  the  French  have  abandoned  them.  It  is  certain 
that,  if  at  present,  we  abandon  one  only  of  the  posts  which  the 
French  occupy,  that  the  English  will  establish  themselves  there 
immediately.  So  we  think  that  it  is  necessary,  better  to  fortify 
those  which  we  have  today,  rather  than  to  weaken  them  in 
obliging  one  nation  to  go  among  another  to  find  there  the 
necessities  of  life,  the  more,  that  it  seems  to  us  dangerous  to 
assemble  different  savage  nations  in  the  same  place  for  fear 
that  they  do  not  get  along  well  together. 

"The  Ouyatanons  have  been  led  into  the  government  of 
Louisiana  by  the  Sr.  de  Vincennes,  who  is  entirely  separated 
from  this  government.*  Sr.  de  V  Beauharnois  (to  oblige 
this  nation  to  return  among  the  Miamis  to  supply  their  wants) 
at  first  intended  to  allow  no  traveler  to  come  up  from  that 
territory  and  he  would  have  put  his  plan  in  execution,  if  he 
had  not  found  himself  obliged  to  grant  this  permission  to 
Frenchmen  in  order  to  send  missionaries  to  the  Tamarois,  and 

*That  is  the  government  of  Canada. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  91 

they  brought  with  them  merchandise  in  great  quantities  which 
they  put  on  sale  in  the  old  post  as  usual. "f 

In  the  plan  of  the  state  of  the  expenditures  for  the  year 
1731  one  sees  that  the  officer  in  command  at  Wabash  was  to 
receive  as  a  supplement  to  his  salary,  as  well  as  for  the  main- 
tenance of  the  fort  during  the  last  six  months  of  the  year  1731 
a  sum  of  400  livres  at  the  rate  of  800  livres  a  year.  The  same 
budget  gives  us  the  name  of  the  officers  who  were  at  Quebec, 
with  the  salaries  which  they  were  to  receive:  St.  Jantzen, 
lieutenant,  240  livres  for  the  last  six  months;  Sr.  de  Saint- 
Ange,  240  livres  for  the  last  six  months  ;  and  Sr.  de  Vincennes 
240  livres  for  the  last  six  months.* 

October  12,  1732,  MM.  de  Beauharnois  and  Hocquart 
wrote  to  the  minister:  "Sr.  de  Vincennes  who  is  among  the 
Ouyatanons  has  been  informed  of  the  last  arrangements  made 
for  the  transportation  of  Illinois  cattle  to  Canada,  and  has 
written  to  M.  de  Beauharnois,  that,  if  His  Majesty  will  grant 
the  same  perquisite  that  he  has  to  Sr.  Gastineau,  that  is  to  say 
1000  livres  he  will  guarantee  to  send  them  alive  to  Canada. 
As  the  arrangements  were  only  conditional,  we  have  replied 
to  him  that  he  would  be  treated  as  Sr.  Gastineau  had  been."f 

In  a  list  of  officers  of  the  troops  of  the  detachment  of 
Marine  in  1732,  one  reads  Bissot  de  Vincennes,  ensign,  thirty- 
four  years  old. J  In  reality  M.  de  Vincennes  was  only  thirty- 
two  years  old  in  1732. 

In  the  budget  of  expenses  of  1732  for  salaries  and  per- 
quisites of  Louisiana  one  finds  :  "To  M.  de  Vincennes,  com- 
mandant at  Wabash  for  a  perquisite  800  pounds. § 

tArchives  du  Canada,  Correspondence  générale,  série  P.,  vol.  52, 
p.  27. 

*.T.  P.  Dunn,  The  Mission  to  the  Ouabache,  p.  297. 
tArchives  du  Canada,  sirie  P.,  vol.  57,  p.  73. 
ÎL'abbe  Daniel,  Aperçu  sur  Quelques  Contemporains,  p.  52. 
§J.  P.  Dunn,  The  Mission  to  the  Ouabache,  p.  307. 


92  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

In  a  letter  that  M.  de  Vincennes  wrote  on  March  7,  1733, 
to  one  of  the  officials  of  the  department  of  the  Marine  in 
France  one  finds  interesting  information  about  his  post  and 
about  these  savages  among  whom  he  lived.  "To  reply  to  your 
letter  which  I  have  had  the  honor  to  receive  I  begin  by  inform- 
ing you  that  the  Wabash  is  composed  of  five  nations  who 
compose  four  villages  of  which  the  least  has  sixty  men  carry- 
ing arms,  and  all  of  them  could  furnish  from  six  to  seven  hun- 
dred men  if  it  were  necessary  to  assemble  them  for  the  wel- 
fare of  the  service  and  for  their  own  welfare.  On  account  of 
the  nearness  of  the  English,  it  has  been  impossible  for  me  to 
bring  together  all  these  nations  because  there  has  always  been 
a  lack  of  merchandise  in  this  place.  The  fort  which  I  have 
built  is  about  eighty  miles  in  the  Wabash  country  up  the  river 
by  which  the  English  have  been  able  to  descend  and  open  up 
commerce  with  these  nations.  The  place  is  very  suitable  in 
which  to  build  a  great  settlement  which  I  would  have  done  if 
1  had  had  troops  enough.  In  regard  to  the  commerce  which 
one  can  carry  on  here,  a  traffic  in  skins  could  go  on  all  year 
to  the  extent  of  30,000  skins.  This  is  the  only  commerce, 
Monsieur,  which  could  be  carried  on  for  the  present. 

"I  have  never  had  a  greater  need  of  troops  in  these  places 
than  at  the  present  time.  The  savages,  the  Illinois,  as  well  as 
the  Miamis  and  others  are  more  insolent  than  they  have  ever 
been,  especially  since  the  Foxes  were  defeated.  The  little 
experience  which  I  have  acquired  in  the  twenty  years  that  I 
have  been  among  them,  causes  me  to  fear  some  evil  trick  on 
the  part  of  these  nations  and  above  all,  of  my  own  who  seeing 
a  settlement  which  I  had  begun,  did  not  seem  to  wish  it  to  be 
continued.  Since  for  three  years  nothing  has  happened.  Ex- 
cept, Monsieur,  the  migration  of  all  the  nations  not  only  of 
the  lakes  but  also  of  other  places. 

"You  do  me  the  honor  to  indicate  to  me  that  I  send  you  a 
statement  of  the  work  done  and  to  be  done.    There  is  only  one 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  93 

fort  and  two  houses  within  and  it  will  be  necessary  very  soon 
to  build  a  guard  house  with  barracks  in  which  to  lodge  the 
soldiers.  Nothing  else  is  possible  in  this  place  with  so  few 
troops.  I  need  thirty  men  with  an  officer.  I  am  more  embar- 
rassed than  ever,  in  this  place,  by  the  war  with  the  Chicasaws 
who  have  come  twice  since  spring.  Only  two  days  ago  the  last 
party  took  away  three  people  and  since  the  French  took  up 
tomahawks  against  them  I  am  obliged  every  day  to  put  up  a 
defense.  I  hope,  that  of  your  goodness,  you  will  indeed  wish 
to  give  your  attention  to  this  place  and  to  my  difficulty  for 
myself  as  wrell  as  for  the  little  garrison  which  I  have.  This  is 
the  favor  which  he  awaits,  from  you,  who  has  the  honor  to  be, 
with  profound  respect,  M.,  your  very  humble  and  very  obe- 
dient servant, 

VlNSENNE. 

On  March  21,  1733,  M.  de  Vincennes  wrote  another  equally 
interesting  letter  to  the  same  person  :  "I  have  just  received  a 
packet  from  M.  le  marquis  de  Beauharnois  which  I  have  sent 
to  M.  de  Saint-Ange  in  order  that  you  may  have  it  as  quickly 
as  possible. 

"M.  le  marquis  de  Beauharnois  sent  me  a  belt  and  a  pipe 
for  the  Illinois  which  I  sent  to  M.  de  Saine-Ange  to  insist  that 
the  nations  go  and  attack  the  Chickasaws.  All  the  nations  of 
Canada  and  of  the  lakes  start  this  spring  to  go  there.  Both 
nations  here  have  gone  even  their  chiefs.  Not  a  single  man 
remained  in  all  these  villages.  And  they  all  passed  in  front 
of  this  post,  which  is  not  a  favorable  condition. 

"I  had  the  honor  to  inform  you  in  my  last  letter  that  the 
Chickasaws  this  autumn  killed  six  Frenchmen  in  the  Wabash 
country  who  had  come  to  this  post  and  were  living  here.  This 
same  party  killed  one  of  the  savages  of  this  post  and  his  wrife. 
If  they  begin  to  come  in  these  places  it  will  be  difficult  to 
travel.    M.  le  marquis  de  Beauharnois  indicates  to  me  that  he 


94  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

wishes  absolutely  to  destroy  the  Chickasaws  and  their  allies 
and  to  prevent  these  nations  from  joining  those  of  Canada. 

"In  this  post  we  lack  everything.  I  am  obliged  to  borrow 
from  travellers  and  to  give  the  little  that  I  have  myself  to 
take  care  of  all  the  affairs  which  come  up  daily.  I  have  the 
honor  to  beg  you,  Monsieur,  to  give  your  attention  to  this 
matter  and  to  have  me  reimbursed  for  what  I  have  furnished. 
I  realize  that  it  has  already  cost  me  much.  When  these  nations 
return  and  when  all  the  prisoners,  which  they  have  taken  are 
given  to  us,  it  will  be  necessary  to  pay  for  this  sort  of  thing  as 
well  as  to  look  for  the  dead  if  we  lose  any  one.  I  hope  that 
they  will  come  this  autumn  and  make  the  attack.  At  least  I 
will  invite  them  here  since  they  are  all  disposed  to  come.  I  am 
about  to  go  in  a  few  days  to  their  large  village  and  if  I  find 
everything  quiet  I  may  go  down  into  Canada.  M.  le  marquis 
de  Beauharnois  tells  me  that  he  will  allow  me  to  make  this  trip 
to  attend  to  some  family  matters.  I  will  not  be  longer  than 
five  months  on  this  voyage.  I  am  writing  to  M.  Saint-Ange 
to  send  his  son  in  my  absence.  I  hope  Monsieur  that  you  will 
not  take  it  ill,  that  I  make  this  trip  because  I  will  not  do  it 
unless  I  see  everything  in  good  shape  in  this  continent.  I  have 
the  honor  to  be 

"With  profound  respect,  M.,  your  very  humble  and  very 
obedient  servant, 

VlNSENNE. 

The  fort  of  Wabash,  March  21,  1733."* 

On  March  24,  1733,  Count  de  Maurepas,  president  of  the 
Council  of  Marine,  wrote  to  MM.  de  Beauharnois  and  Hoc- 
quart  that  Sr.  Gastineau  having  been  unsuccessful  in  sending 
the  cattle  from  Illinois,  it  was  not  necessary  to  make  arrange- 
ments with  M.  de  Vincennes,  commandant  among  the  Ouyata- 
nons,  since  the  experience  of  Sr.  Cugnet  did  not  give  reason  to 

*J.  P.  Dunn,  The  Mission  of  the  Onabache,  p.  305. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  95 

hope  that  one  could  obtain  wool  from  them.  There  was  there- 
fore no  advantage  in  domesticating  these  animals. f 

On  April  1,  1733,  M.  de  Vincennes  was  made  half-pay  lieu- 
tenant in  Canada. J 

On  May  20,  1733,  MM.  de  Bienville  and  Salmon  wrote  to 
the  minister  :  "By  the  same  letter  Sr.  Saint-Ange  says  that  he 
is  little  assured  of  the  fidelity  of  the  Illinois,  who  often  give 
him  alarm  and  seem  likely  to  fear  our  resentment  over  their 
past  faults  in  order  to  have  a  pretext  to  make  a  disturbance. 

"In  another  region  Sr.  de  Vincennes  who  is  in  command 
among  the  Miami  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  savages 
settled  on  the  Wabash  are  not  any  more  tranquil  than  the 
Illinois.  That  he  is  in  no  condition  to  prevent  their  carrying 
on  commerce  with  the  English  since  it  is  necessary  to  reunite 
them  all,  and  since  he  has  no  merchandise  to  attract  them,  since 
moreover  the  garrison  is  too  feeble  to  restrain  these  nations.* 

In  a  memoir  of  M.  de  Bienville  on  Louisiana  which  seems 
to  be  about  1733,  it  is  said  :  "Sr.  de  Vincennes  who  com- 
manded there  (at  Wabash)  informed  him  that  the  Peangui- 
chas  who  were  settled  near  our  fort  desired  to  bring  among 
them  a  village  of  the  same  nation  who  had  remained  about 
sixty  miles  higher  up  the  river.  Two  reasons  made  him  favor 
this  design,  the  first  to  fortify  our  settlement  and  the  second  to 
take  away  from  this  village  the  facility  of  commerce  with  the 
English  who  had  established  two  stores  among  the  Chanua- 
nons  on  the  Ohio  River.f 

In  their  letter  to  the  minister  April  8,  1734,  MM.  de  Bien- 
ville and  Salmon  wrote:  "As  concerns  Wabash,  M.  de  Vin- 
cennes from  whom  we  have  had  no  news  informs  us  by  a  mes- 
senger, who  has  just  come  down  from  among  the  Illinois,  that 

tRapport  sur  les  Archives  Canadiennes  for  1904,  p.  169. 
^Alphabet  Laffillard,  vol.  11,  p.  319. 
*J.  P.  Dunn,  The  Mission  to  the  Ouabache,  p.  300. 
tJ.  P.  Dunn,  The  Mission  to  the  Ouabache,  p.  308. 


96  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

the  tort  which  he  had  built  for  the  garrison  which  consisted 
of  only  ten  men  is  very  small  and  in  fairly  good  condition,  that 
it  is  necessary  only  to  place  around  it  a  double  wall  of  stone. 
That  he  has  had  built  within  a  house  at  his  own  expense  for 
his  dwelling  and  that  some  of  the  soldiers  on  their  part  have 
made  barracks  to  live  in,  that  immediately  the  garrison  is  to  be 
increased  to  thirty  men,  an  order  which  M.  de  Bienville  has 
given  to  M.  Dartaguiette.J 

On  April  13,  1734,  in  his  letter  to  MM.  de  Beauharnois  and 
Hocquart,  M.  de  Maurepas  returning  to  the  proposition  of  M. 
de  Vincennes  approved  that  they  had  written  to  him  not  to 
send  cattle  from  Illinois,  this  enterprise  appearing  imprac- 
ticable 

July  20,  1734,  the  king  had  a  letter  written  to  M.  de  Beau- 
harnois saying  that  he  had  learned  by  way  of  Louisiana  that 
the  Foxes,  after  the  unfortunate  affair  of  the  Bay  of  St. 
Joseph,  had  retired  on  to  the  Wisconsin  river  and  that  M. 
Dartaguettes  had  sent  scouts  after  them  to  locate  them  and 
to  make  the  nation  march  against  them.  The  king  added  that 
Sr.  de  Vincennes,  commandant  at  Wabash,  had  written  to  him 
that  the  savage  Peauguichias,  settled  near  his  fort,  wished  to 
bring  to  themselves  the  greater  part  of  their  nation  who  were 
sixty  miles  higher  up.  This  would  have  given  importance  to 
Wabash  and  would  have  taken  away  from  the  English  the 
commerce  which  they  were  carrying  on  with  the  Peauguichias 
village.  The  savage  Chouanons  who  had  two  English  com- 
mercial agencies  established  near  them  had  the  same  intention 
of  going  away,  a  party  to  Wabash  and  a  party  to  Detroit. 

July  27,  1734,  M.  de  Bienville  wrote  to  the  minister  :  "Sr. 
de  Vincennes,  who  is  in  command  at  Wabash,  advises  him  that 
the  Peauguichias,  who  have  settled  near  our  fort,  desire  to 
attach  to  themselves  a  village  of  the  same  nation  who  remain 

tT.  P.  Dunn,  The  Mission  to  the  Ouabaehe,  p.  308. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  97 

sixty  miles  higher  up.  Two  reasons  make  him  favor  this 
design  the  first  to  fortify  our  settlement  and  second  to  take 
away  from  this  village  facility  of  commerce  with  the  English. 

"This  officer  adds  that  it  will  not  be  difficult  to  take  away 
from  them  this  nation  who  have  only  given  them  the  prefer- 
ence because  it  was  not  so  easy  to  obtain  their  necessities  from 
us  as  from  the  English.  He  is  sure  that  a  party  has  the  inten- 
tion of  going  to  Detroit  and  another  of  coming  to  him.  If 
Monsieur  considers  that  these  changes  are  advantageous,  I  will 
give  orders  in  consequence  to  M.  de  Vincennes.  Moreover, 
since  the  post  of  Wabash  is  one  of  the  most  important  of  the 
colony,  being  a  barrier  which  is  opposed  to  the  progress  of  the 
English  who  have  always  frequented  much  these  districts,  he 
has  given  orders  to  M.  Dartaguettes  to  detach  thirty  men  with 
two  officers  to  make  up  the  garrison  for  it.* 

On  August  20,  1735,  M.  de  Bienville  wrote  to  the  minister  : 
"Sr.  de  Vincennes  who  is  in  command  of  the  fort  of  the  Pean- 
guichias  has  persuaded  the  savages  of  his  district  to  declare 
war  against  the  Chickasaws  and  has  secured  from  M.  Darta- 
guettes the  argeement  to  march  with  them,  with  those  of  the 
French  which  he  can  get  together.  Since  this  officer  has  much 
influence  over  the  minds  of  the  savages  M.  de  Bienville  is 
persuaded  that  he  will  encourage  them  to  do  their  best/'j 

The  Chickasaws,  a  large  and  enterprising  nation,  very  hos- 
tile to  the  French  and  allied  with  the  English  with  whom  they 
kept  up  continuous  and  important  commercial  relation,  inhab- 
ited all  the  country  between  the  Illinois  and  the  Choctaws  on 
the  south.  Each  year  they  grew  larger  from  the  debris  of 
other  tribes  who  came  to  unite  with  them  and  to  bring  to 
them  a  new  strength.  Assured  of  the  aid  of  the  English,  hav- 
ing in  their  power  a  strong  contingent  of  savages,  they  enjoyed 

*J.  P.  Dunn,  The  Mission  to  the  Ouabache,  p.  329. 
tJ.  P.  Dunn.  The  Mission  to  the  Ouabache,  p.  309. 


98  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

disturbing  the  French  settled  among  the  Tonicas  and  the  Ar- 
kansas. They  attacked  their  convoys  going  up  among  the 
Illinois  and,  what  concerned  much  the  governors  of  Quebec 
and  of  New  Orleans,  they  favored  the  establishment  of  colo- 
nies from  Virginia  on  the  Ohio  and  on  the  Illinois  rivers. 
England  very  much  desired  this  establishment,  which  was  to 
serve  as  a  barrier  between  the  two  colonies  of  Canada  and  of 
Louisiana,  and  was  to  weaken  them  in  separating  them.  More- 
over she  hoped  in  this  way  to  obtain  possession  of  the  trade  in 
skins  from  the  south  to  the  north  of  America,  because  the 
savage  tribes  were  persuaded,  not  without  reason,  that  the 
English  couid  more  easily  than  the  French  bring  plenty  into 
their  country  in  giving  to  them  at  better  rates  their  merchan- 
dise from  Europe  and  buying  more  dearly  the  product  of  their 
hunting. 

The  aggressive  and  provoking  attitude  of  the  Chickasaws 
could  not  long  be  endured.  It  was  important  to  reduce  their 
power  as  soon  as  possible,  if  one  wished  to  assure  the  free 
possession  of  the  Mississippi  valley  and  to  prevent  the  English 
from  opening  stores  between  Canada  and  Louisiana. 

The  governor  of  Louisiana,  M.  de  Bienville,  summoned  the 
Chickasaws  to  bring  him  without  delay  the  head  of  the  Natchez 
who  had  taken  refuge  among  them.  The  chief  replied  "the 
Natchez  form  one  nation  with  the  Chickasaws,  we  can  not  give 
them  up."  Little  content  with  this  reply  M.  de  Bienville  de- 
clared war  against  them.  He  ordered  the  commandant  among 
the  Illinois,  M.  Dartaguettes,  to  levy  as  many  soldiers  as  he 
could  among  the  Illinois,  the  Canadians  and  the  French  in  the 
Chickasaw  country  on  May  10,  1736.  He  himself  would  unite 
at  Mobile  all  those  available  in  Louisiana.  He  would  ascend 
the  river  of  the  same  name  by  a  flotilla  of  rafts  and  of  boats 
and  would  arrive  at  Tombeche  (today  Cotton  Gin  Port). 
There  200  Choctaws  awaited  him  with  Father  Beaudoin,  their 
missionary.    The  army  would  set  on  the  march  the  next  day 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  99 

and  on  the  evening  of  May  27  it  would  camp  one  mile  from 
the  great  village  of  the  Chickasaws. 

The  arrangement  made  by  M.  de  Bienville  could  not  be  so 
secret  that  they  were  not  discovered  by  the  enemy.  The  Chick- 
asaws, guided  by  the  English,  fortified  their  retrenchments  and 
awaited  the  French  with  assurance.  Two  assaults  were  made 
the  same  day  and  vigorously  repulsed.  Unhappily  the  gov- 
ernor, who  did  not  think  that  he  would  need  his  artillery, 
had  left  it  seven  miles  away  and  he  had  no  time  to  bring  it  up, 
for  the  savages  of  other  towns  ran  in  great  numbers  to  aid  the 
great  village.  He  sent  back  the  Choctaws  with  presents,  or- 
dered a  retreat  and  took  the  road  back  to  Mobile. 

This  expedition  for  which  a  two  years'  preparation  had 
been  made  culminating  in  so  inglorious  a  manner  diminished 
perceptibly  the  reputation  of  the  great  captain.  His  friends 
tried  to  make  the  blame  fall  on  commandant  Dartaguettes 
who  had  not  joined  him,  they  said,  as  he  had  been  ordered. 
This  defense  was  mistaken,  for  the  commandant  had  invaded 
the  land  of  the  Chickasaws  on  the  ninth  of  May  at  the  head  of 
130  French  or  Canadians,  100  Illinois  M.  de  Vincennes'  sav- 
ages and  some  Iroquois.  There  were  about  400  men.  Ban- 
croft says  there  were  nearly  1,100. 

For  ten  days  M.  Dartaguettes  camped  at  the  sources  of  the 
Yalabusha  and  waited  there  futilely  for  M.  de  Bienville,  to 
the  great  discontent  of  the  savages  who  became  impatient, 
murmured  and  threatened  to  desert.  In  this  situation  he  took 
the  course  which  seemed  to  him  wisest  and  most  dignified.  He 
set  his  troops  in  movement,  took  possession  of  a  village  and 
marched  against  another.  There  he  hesitated,  the  French 
scouts  asserted  that  the  village  was  defended  by  numerous 
troops.  The  savages  maintained  the  contrary.  He  believed 
the  latter  and  commanded  an  assault.  A  first  and  then  a  sec- 
ond fort  was  deprived  of  its  flag;  at  the  assault  of  the  third  he 
was  wounded  and  fell.    Discouraged,  the  savages  betook  them- 


100  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

selves  to  a  precipitate  flight  except  the  Iroquois  who  accom- 
plished prodigies  of  valor.  With  them,  the  officers  and  the 
soldiers  resisted  the  enemy  until  the  moment  when,  heing  out- 
flanked, and  succumbing  to  a  greater  number  they  were  forced 
to  think  of  retreating.  The  greater  part  of  the  French  and  the 
Iroquois  succeeded  in  escaping  and  retiring  in  good  order  under 
the  guidance  of  Voisin,  a  soldier  sixteen  years  old  who  made 
himself  officer  and  directed  the  retreat  with  the  sang-froid  and 
the  experience  of  an  old  captain.  Followed  by  the  Chickasaws 
for  25  miles,  he  held  them  at  a  distance  and  made  his  men, 
inspired  by  his  example,  run  for  45  miles  without  food  carry- 
ing the  wounded. 

At  the  assault  of  the  third  fort  some  soldiers  and  the  three 
brothers  Drouet  de  Richerville,  distinguished  officers,  found  a 
glorious  death.  MM.  Dartaguettes,  de  Vincennes,  de  Cou- 
lange,  the  fourth  brother  de  Drouet,  Du  Tisné,  d'Esgly,  de 
Sainte-Ange,  de  Tonty  and  fifteen  or  sixteen  soldiers  were 
made  prisoners  and  led  to  a  mound  in  the  middle  of  the  town. 
There  stripped  first  of  their  clothing,  insulted  and  cruelly 
beaten  they  were  thrown  on  two  pyres  where  they  expired  with 
the  most  atrocious  suffering. 

With  these  heroes  died,  under  the  same  tortures,  the  Jesuit 
Antoine  Sénat.  He  had  arrived  from  France  among  the  Illi- 
nois in  1734,  and  M.  Dartaguettes  had  attached  him  to  himself 
as  a  chaplain  when  he  set  out  against  the  Chickasaws.  .  .  . 
He  could  have  fled  with  Voisin  and  his  companions;  he  was 
advised  to  do  it,  he  was  even  offered  a  horse  but  he  refused, 
his  duty  being  to  be  with  the  French  whom  the  enemy  were 
about  to  make  captive.  He  was  taken  with  them.  With  them 
he  marched  to  the  place  of  martyrdom  ;  with  them  he  submitted 
to  the  last  outrages  and  the  bastinade.  The  dream  of  his 
heart  of  an  apostle  was  realized.  He  heard  the  last  confes- 
sion of  his  companions.  He  absolved  them  and  exhorted  them 
to  offer  to  God  with  courage  and  like  true  martyrs  the  sacri- 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  101 

fice  of  their  life.  Before  mounting  the  pyre,  falling  on  their 
knees  they  prayed,  then  they  entoned  in  a  linn  voice  the  psalms 
and  the  canticle  and  continued  then  in  the  midst  of  the  flame. 
Later,  in  relating  this  scene  of  martyrdom,  the  savages  said 
that  the  French  sang  as  they  went  up  ;  and  in  seeing  them  die 
they  gave  them  this  praise  by  these  simple  words  "Truly  these 
Frenchmen  are  not  women,  but  men."* 

On  what  date  and  in  what  place  were  M.  de  Vincennes  and 
his  heroic  companions  put  to  death  by  the  Chickasaws  ?  Opin- 
ions differ  considerably  about  the  date  of  the  death  of  M.  de 
Vincennes.  Several  official  accounts,  those  of  the  abbé  Fer- 
land,  the  R.  P.  de  Rochemonteix  and  most  of  the  authors  who 
come  after  them,  say  that  this  event  took  place  the  end  of  May, 
1736. 

They  are  mistaken.  On  April  13,  1736,  Toussaint  Loizel 
wrote  from  Sainte-Ange  among  the  Illinois  to  his  brother  who 
lived  at  Montreal:  "Before  I  finish  I  must  send  you  a  word 
concerning  the  war  which  has  been  made  against  the  Chicka- 
saws where  we  have  lost  forty  French.  M.  Dartaguettes  com- 
mandant of  the  said  post  has  been  killed  with  seven  officers 
of  the  troops,  four  of  the  militia.     .     .     . 

Then  Loizel  names  to  his  brother  some  of  the  officers  and 
soldiers  who  have  been  killed  by  the  Chickasaws  :  "MM.  de 
Sainte-Ange,  son,  Coulonge,  Levillie,  the  young  Declaude, 
Vincennes,  la  Graviere  with  M.  Belcour  and  another  of  his 
brothers  and  the  fourth  with  a  broken  shoulder,  M.  de  Tonty. 
d'Esgly,  and  the  old  Lalonde  and  Antoine  Carrière,  Louis 
Langlois,  M.  Dutilly,  son.  The  others  are  Frenchmen  of  Que- 
bec,   You  do  not  know  them."* 

The  letter  from  M.  Loizel  as  we  have  just  seen  is  dated 

*Pere  Camille  de  Rochemonteix,  Les  Jésuites  et  la  Nouvelle  France 
au  XVIIIe  siècle,  vol.  1,  pp.  361,  et  seq. 

*M.  Phileas  Gagnon  has  published  the  letter  of  Loizel  in  the  Bulle 
tin  des  Recherches  Historiques,  vol.  VI,  p.  110. 


102  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

April  13,  1736.  Therefore  M.  de  Vincennes  and  his  com- 
panions were  put  to  death  before  April  13. 

But  we  have  a  contemporaneous  authority  who  gives  us 
the  exact  date  of  the  death  of  M.  de  Vincennes. 

June  29,  1736,  Father  Mathurin  LePetit,  superior  of  the 
Jesuits  of  Louisiana,  wrote  to  the  general  of  his  order  at 
Rome  :  "Patrem  Senate  provincia  tolosana  qui  in  eadem  re- 
gione  alteram  illinensium  missionem  a  18  mensibus  tantum 
sed  magna  jam  linguae  peritia  et  majori  studio  excolebat,  belli 
casus  nobis  prepepuit  die  dominica  palmarurn." 

(On  palm  Sunday  the  fortune  of  war  took  away  from  us 
Father  Senat  of  the  province  of  Toulousse.  He  had  charge 
of  another  mission  of  the  Illinois  in  the  same  country  for  only 
eighteen  months  but  he  already  knew  the  language  and  was 
still  more  remarkable  for  his  zeal.)* 

Two  years  later,  June  25,  1738,  Pierre  LePetit,  writing 
again  to  the  general  of  his  order,  repeated  the  fact  that  Father 
Senat  had  been  burned  on  Palm  Sunday,  1736: 

'Tost  Multos  rumores,  tandem  facti  sumus  certiores  P. 
Antonii  Senat  generosam  caritatem  gloriosa  martyrii  corona 
fuisse  donatam  eo  ipso  die  (dominica  Palmarurn  a  1736)  quo 
comprehensus  fuit  a  babbaris  nostraegentis  hostibus  vulgo  dic- 
tis  Thikakas." 

(After  many  rumors  we  are  at  last  certain  that  Father 
Antoine  Senat  has  been  recompensed  for  his  generous  charity 
by  the  glorious  crown  of  Martyr.  On  the  same  day  (Palm 
Sunday,  1736)  that  he  was  made  prisoner  by  the  savages  ene- 
mies of  our  nation  commonly  called  Chickasaws.)f 

Father  Senat  and  M.  de  Vincennes  being  put  to  death  to- 
gether, it  follows  that  the  latter  was  burned  Palm  Sunday. 
1736,  that  is  March  25,  1736. 

It  is  very  difficult  to  establish  the  precise  place  where  M.  de 

*The  Jesuit  Relations  and  Allied  Documents,  vol.  LXVIII,  p.  80S. 
tThe  Jesuit  Relations  and  Allied  Documents,  vol.  LXIX,  p.  28. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  103 

Vincennes  was  put  to  death.  However  all  witnesses  seem  to 
agree  in  placing  the  forts  of  the  Chickasaws  near  Fulton,  Lee 
County,  Miss.,  U.  S. 

The  sources  to  consult  on  the  last  campaign  and  the  death 
of  Francois-Marie  Bissot  de  Vincennes  are  : 

Letter  of  M.  Cremont  to  the  minister,  1736.  Original  of 
this  letter  at  the  Archives  of  the  Marine,  in  Paris.  A  resume 
of  it  is  found  in  the  Rapport  sur  les  Archives  Canadiennes  for 
1905,  vol.  1,  p.  542. 

Account  which  Sr.  Drouet  de  Richerville  tells  of  the  en- 
gagement which  M.  D'Artaguette  had  with  the  Chickasaws  in 
the  month  of  March,  1736.  Original  of  this  account  at  the 
Archives  of  the  Marine,  in  Paris.  A  resume  of  it  may  be 
found  in  the  Rapport  sur  les  Archives  Canadiennes  for  1905, 
vol.  1,  p.  452. 

Recital  of  the  march  and  of  the  defeat  of  M.  Dartaguiette 
told  under  the  name  Parisien.  Original  of  this  recital  in  the 
Archives  of  the  Marine,  at  Paris.  Resume  in  the  Rapport  sur 
les  Archives  Canadiennes  for  1905,  vol.  1,  p.  453. 

Anonymous  account  of  the  defeat  of  M.  Dartaguiette. 
Original  of  this  account  at  the  Archives  of  the  Marine,  in 
Paris.  Resume  in  the  Rapport  sur  les  Archives  Canadiennes 
for  1905,  vol.  1,  p.  453. 

Recital  by  M.  de  Bienville  of  his  expedition  to  the  country 
of  the  Chickasaws,  of  the  non  success  of  his  enterprise  and  of 
his  retreat.    Original  at  the  Archives  of  the  Marine,  in  Paris. 

List  of  the  troops  and  militia  who  made  the  campaign 
against  the  Chickasaws,  1736.    Archives  de  la  Marine,  at  Paris. 

Banishment  of  the  Jesuits  from  Louisiana,  in  Documents 
Inédits  of  Father  Carayon,  XIV,  p.  24. 

Letter  of  the  Jesuit  father,  Le  Petit,  to  the  general  of  the 
Jesuits,  New  Orleans,  June  29,  1736,  published  in  Jesuit  Rela- 
tions and  Other  Documents,  vol.  LXVIII,  p.  308. 

Letter  of  the  Jesuit  father,  LePetit,  to  the  general  of  the 


104  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

Jesuits,  New  Orleans,  April  24,  1738,  published  in  Jesuit  Rela- 
tions and  Other  Documents,  vol.  LXIX,  p.  28. 

June  21,  1737,  M.  de  Bienville  wrote  to  the  minister:  "The 
Peanghikeas  among  whom  we  have  a  post  where  the  late  M.  de 
Vincennes  was  in  command  have  almost  all  left  their  village 
since  his  death,  except  about  fifteen  men  who  are  still  with 
Sr.  de  Sainte-Ange.  They  have  gone  higher  up  on  the  Wabash 
to  another  village.  I  foresee  that  if  this  station  is  deserted  we 
will  be  disturbed  by  the  Chickasaws  at  this  post  where  the 
garrison  is  not  strong.  This  circumstance  and  the  recent  and 
repeated  attempts  of  the  English  to  penetrate  into  the  colony 
by  way  of  the  Ohio  river  by  which  they  descend  into  the 
Wabash  country  has  determined  me  to  replace  this  fort  about 
forty  miles  further  down  at  the  mouth  of  this  river.  I  would 
have  done  this  sooner  if  the  savages  had  been  willing  to  fol- 
low us  there.  It  appears  now  that  the  Kickapoos  and  the  Mas- 
coutins  who  came  two  years  ago  to  set  up  their  village  with 
the  Miamis  do  not  get  along  well  with  them,  and  M.  de  la 
Buissoniere  assures  me  that  if  one  should  invite  them,  they 
would  settle  there.  I  sent  him  orders  for  this  change  which 
would  not  cost  much  and  I  hope  that  Mgr.  will  approve  of 
them.  I  only  fear  that  Sr.  de  Linquetot,  an  officer  of  Canada 
who  is  in  command  among  the  Miami  and  the  Ouyatanons  may 
be  opposed  to  letting  the  Kickapoos  and  the  Mascoutins  go, 
because  these  two  nations  belong  to  his  department.  I  will 
write  to  him  on  this  subject."* 

On  the  next  day,  June  22,  1737,  M.  Salmon  wrote  in  his 
turn  to  the  minister  :  "I  learn  through  Sr.  Delaloire  that  the 
Sr.  Sainte-Ange,  son,  who  went  up  to  the  Wabash  country  to 
take  command  of  that  post  in  place  of  the  late  M.  de  Vin- 
cennes, reports  to  him  that  the  savages  who  are  his  neighbors 
desire  to  abandon  him,  that  some  of  them  have  already  gone 
away  to  their  ancient  village  of  Vermillion  to  such  a  number 

*J.  P.  Dunn.  The  Mission  to  the  Onabache,  p.  310. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  105 

that  there  remain  not  more  than  twenty-five  men.  That  if 
they  go  away,  as  seems  likely,  he  will  be  forced  to  disband  the 
garrison  who  will  find  themselves  at  the  mercy  of  their  ene- 
mies. He  adds  that  he  has  not  seen,  up  to  the  present,  that  this 
post  was  of  great  use  and  that  it  causes  much  expense.  For 
myself  I  think  that  truly  it  is  more  expensive  than  it  is  useful. 
However  it  might  be  of  consequence  to  preserve  to  prevent 
the  English  from  settling  there  which  they  will  certainly  do  if 
we  abandon  it."* 

It  has  been  written  that  François-Marie  de  Vincennes  was 
chevalier  de  Saint-Louis.  No.  __  In  the  official  list  of  the  of- 
ficers killed  by  the  Chickasaws  on  March  25,  1736,  one  reads 
Chevalier  de  Vincennes.  That  does  not  mean  that  M.  de 
Vincennes  was  chevalier  of  Saint-Louis.  Bescherelle  says, 
'The  eldest  son  of  a  baron,  the  third  son  of  a  count,  the  fifth 
son  of  a  marquis  were  called  chevalier  without  belonging  to 
any  order  of  chivalry." 

All  that  was  imitated  in  New  France.  Here,  generally,  the 
title  of  Chevalier  was  given  to  the  younger  brothers  of  a  fam- 
ily. François-Marie  Bissot  de  Vincennes  adopted  the  title  of 
chevalier  probably  because  he  belonged  to  the  junior  branch 
of  the  Bissot  family. 

THE  FAMILY  MARGANE  DE  LAVALTRIE 
SERAPHIN  MARGANE  DE  LAVALTRIEf 

Séraphin  Margane  de  Lavaltrie  was  originally  from  Paris, 
parish  Saint-Benoit.     He  was  the  son  of  Sabastien  Margane 

*J.  P.  Diinu,  The  Mission  to  the  Ouabache,  p.  312. 
fM.  de  Lavaltrie  signed  his  name  either  "La  Valterie"  or  "L- 
Valtrie."  It  is  written  la  Valterye,  La  Valtrye,  La  Vaitery,  La  Val- 
terie, la  Valterie,  la  Valtrie,  and  Lavaltrie.  We  adopt  this  last 
orthography  which  is  the  most  commonly  used  in  our  time  and  which 
moreover  approaches  most  nearly  that  employed  by  M.  Lavaltrie 
himself. 


106  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

and  of  Denise  Jonnot.  The  father  of  Séraphin  Margane  was 
an  advocat  in  the  parliament  of  Paris. 

Lieutenant  of  the  guard  of  Marshal  d'  Estrades,  then  lieu- 
tenant of  the  regiment  de  Lignieres,  M.  de  Lavaltrie  took  serv- 
ice under  M.  de  Tracy,  in  1664  and  went  to  New  France  as  a 
lieutenant  in  the  regiment  de  Carignan  in  1665. 

When  Louis  XIV  recalled  Carignan's  regiment  back  to 
France  he  informed  the  officers  and  soldiers  that  he  would  be 
well  pleased  to  have  a  certain  number  of  them  settle  in  the 
new  country.  Several  officers  and  more  than  four  hundred 
soldiers  adopted  therefore  Canada  as  their  new  fatherland. 
The  soldiers  received  a  little  sum  of  money  to  assist  in  their 
settlement  and  the  king  gave  the  officers  concessions  of  land. 
M.  de  Lavaltrie  was  among  those  who  stayed  here.  October 
29,  1672,  the  intendant  Talon  granted  to  him  an  important  con- 
cession of  land. 

The  conditions  imposed  on  M.  de  Lavaltrie  were  the  same 
as  those  of  all  the  grants  of  seigniorys  at  this  time  ;  faith  and 
homage  to  the  Chateau  St.  Louis  at  Quebec  to  maintain  or 
cause  to  be  maintained  residence  and  occupation  on  the  con- 
cession ;  the  preservation  of  the  forests  of  oak  ;  a  report  to  the 
king  or  to  the  company  of  the  West  Indies  of  the  mines  and 
minerals  found  in  the  seigniory,  etc.,  etc. 

In  1673  M.  de  Lavaltrie  joined  M.  de  Frontenac's  expedi- 
tion to  Lake  Ontario.  The  governor  left  Montreal  toward  the 
end  of  June  with  a  fleet  of  four  flat  boats  and  120  canoes 
which  carried  six  cannon  and  400  men.  The  principal  object 
of  M.  de  Frontenac's  voyage  was  to  build  a  fort  on  the  shores 
of  Lake  Ontario,  whence  one  could  watch  the  movements  of 
the  Iroquois.  The  fort  was  placed  on  the  point  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Catarakoui  river  and  received  the  name  of  Frontenac. 
Today  it  is  Kingston.  They  worked  with  such  ardor  that  the 
fort  was  built  in  several  days.  M.  de  Frontenac  was  even 
able  to  leave  a  commandant  with  a  little  garrison. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  107 

The  official  account  of  the  expedition  to  Lake  Ontario 
mentions  M.  de  Lavaltrie's  name  several  times. 

The  census  of  New  France  made  in  the  autumn  of  1681  in- 
forms us  that  M.  de  Lavaltrie  was  settled  at  his  seigniory. 
He  was  then  thirty-eight  years  old,  his  wife  twenty-nine,  their 
children  Marie-Anne,  thirteen,  Charles  eleven,  François-Marie 
nine,  Genevieve  seven,  Louise  five,  Pierre  three,  and  Barbe 
eight  months  old.  There  were  in  the  manor  three  guns  and 
two  pistols.  The  stables  contained  ten  horned  cattle.  M.  de 
Lavaltrie  possessed  twenty  acres  in  cultivation.  The  eeus'.s 
gives  us  also  the  names  of  the  tenants  of  Seignior  de  Laval- 
trie: Gabriel  Gibault,  François  Bottou,  Antoine  Deseve,  Jean 
Cassavant,  Pierre  Guignet,  Jacques  Lafontaine,  Pierre  Le- 
siege,  Nicholas  Prunier  and  Claud  Bourgeois. 

Nicolas  Perrot  writes  in  his  "Memoir  on  the  Manner,  Cus- 
toms and  Religion  of  the  Savages  of  North  America." 

"I  was  sent  in  the  spring  of  1685  to  the  Bay  des  Puants 
with  the  commission  of  commander  in  chief  of  the  furthest 
countries  of  the  east  coast  and  moreover  of  those  which  I 
might  discover.  M.  de  la  Durantaye  relieved  M.  de  LavàMrie 
who  had  been  commandant  in  the  country  of  the  Iroquois." 

If  M.  de  Lavaltrie  was  commandant  in  the  east  before  M. 
de  la  Durantaye  he  remained  there  very  little  time,  for  from 
1673  to  1685  one  notices  his  absence  almost  continually  at  his 
seigniory  of  Lavaltrie  or  at  Montreal. 

In  1687  in  M.  de  Denonville's  expedition  against  the  Tspn- 
nontouans  M.  de  Callieres  was  commander  general  of  the  mili- 
tia, divided  in  four  groups  as  were  also  the  king's  troops, 
commanded  by  MM.  Berthier  Becard  de  Grand  ville,  Le 
Moyne,  de  Longueuil  and  Lavaltrie.  Again  in  this  expedition 
M.  de  Lavaltrie  showed  his  military  qualities.  On  July  13  at 
a  little  distance  from  the  principle  village  of  the  Tsonnon- 
touans  he  rendered  a  great  service  to  M.  de  Longueuil  by  sav- 


108  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

ing  the  advance  guard  of  his  army  from  being  surprised  by 
the  Indians. 

In  1690  when  Sir  William  Phipps  was  about  to  lay  siege 
to  Quebec,  M.  de  Frontenac  sent  M.  de  Ramezay  to  M.  de 
Calliéres,  governor  of  Montreal,  to  order  him  to  have  the 
troops  and  the  militia  sent  down.  The  recruiting  of  the  troops 
and  of  the  inhabitants  was  made  so  rapidly  that  three  days 
later  the  contingent  from  Montreal  arrived  at  Quebec.  None 
of  the  numerous  accounts  of  the  siege  of  Quebec  tell  us  that 
M.  de  Lavaltrie  took  part  in  the  glorious  defense  of  the  Capi- 
tol, but  we  have  nevertheless  the  right  to  presume  that  M.  de 
Lavaltrie  was  of  the  party  with  the  brave  militia  from  his 
seigniory. 

November  12,  1690,  M.  de  Frontenac,  giving  an  account 
of  the  raising  of  the  siege  of  Quebec  to  Minister  de  Seignelay, 
wrote:  "I  send  you  the  rank  of  the  officers  which  I  have 
replaced  since  the  reform  of  last  year,  since  I  could  not  still 
recognize  them  I  have  not  acted  in  this  matter  except  by  the 
light  which  Monsieur,  the  intendant,  has  given  me.  He  has 
considered  it  expedient,  and  I  have,  too,  to  find  means  of 
satisfying  by  certain  marks  of  honor,  which  will  cost  nothing 
to  the  king  those  persons,  who  have  rendered  excellent  service 
in  the  preceding  campaigns  and  to  whom  M.  de  Denonville  had 
promised  a  recompense.  A  fact  which  obliges  me  to  add  cer- 
tain commissions  to  those  who  were  captains,  lieutenants  and 
half-pay  ensigns,  but  AD  HONORES  only,  in  the  hope  that 
you  will  not  disapprove." 

In  the  rank  of  which  there  is  here  question  we  see  that  M. 
de  Lavaltrie  received  a  commission  of  lieutenant  in  the  place  of 
M.  de  Louvigny  who  was  made  half-pay  captain.  M.  de  Fron- 
tenac thus  recompensed  M.  de  Lavaltrie  for  his  good  conduct 
in  the  expeditions  of  1673.  of  1687,  and  probably  also  at  the 
siege  of  Quebec. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  109 

M.  de  Lavaltrie  died  at  Montreal  May  16,  1699,  and  was 
buried  the  next  day  in  the  parish  church. 

He  had  married  at  Quebec,  August  12,  1668,  Louise  Bissot, 
daughter  of  Françoise  Bissot  de  la  Rivière  and  of  Marie 
Couillard. 

October  20,  1699,  MM.  de  Callieres  and  de  Champigny 
wrote  to  the  minister  : 

"The  sieur  de  Lavaltrie  left  a  widow  very  poor  with  five 
or  six  children  to  whom  his  appointments  and  a  stipend  of  150 
livres  gave  the  means  of  living.  They  find  themselves  entirely 
deprived  of  it  and,  in  consequence,  of  everything  else.  We 
can  not,  in  so  desperate  a  situation  of  this  poor  family,  fail  to 
beg  His  Majesty  to  continue  at  least  the  stipend  in  the  name 
of  the  widow.  May  31,  1700,  the  king  sent  a  reply  that  he 
could  not  for  the  present  grant  to  Madame  de  Lavaltrie  the 
pension  which  she  demanded.  A  little  later  the  governor  and 
the  intendant  returned  to  the  charge  and  this  time  the  king  ac- 
ceded to  their  demand.  M.  de  Lavaltrie  received  a  modest 
pension  until  her  death  at  Montreal,  March  1,  1783. 

Of  the  marriage  of  Seraphine  Margane  de  Lavaltrie  and 
of  Louise  Bissot  were  born  eleven  children. 

1.  Marie  Anne.  M.  de  L.,  born  at  Quebec,  June  20,  1668. 
Married  at  Montreal,  October  28,  1694,  to  Ignace  Boucher  de 
Grobois. 

In  1 725  Madame  Boucher  de  Grobois  still  lived  at  Boucher- 
ville. 

2.  Charles  Séraphin  M.  de  L.,  born  at  Montreal,  August 
5,  1669. 

In  1691,  the  governor  of  Frontenac  granted  him  a  commis- 
sion as  ensign  in  the  place  of  M.  Boucher  de  Grandpré  who 
was  made  half-pay  lieutenant.  This  commission  was  con- 
firmed by  the  king  March  1,  1693. 

In  1693,  M.  de  Frontenac  entrusted  M.  d'  Ailleboust  d'  Ar- 


110  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

genteuil  with  an  important  message  for  M.  de  Lavigny,  com- 
mandant at  Michelimakinac.  Recognizing-  the  braveness  and 
the  cleverness  of  the  young  de  Lavalterie,  M.  de  Frontenac 
gave  him  instructions  to  escort  M.  d'Ailleboust  d'°  Argenteuil 
and  his  eighteen  companions  through  the  most  dangerous  pass- 
ages. M.  de  Lavaltrie  had  under  his  orders  twenty  volunteers 
and  a  certain  number  of  savages  from  the  Sault  and  from  the 
mountain.  The  voyage  out  was  accomplished  successfully  but 
on  his  return,  in  the  first  days  of  June,  1693,  the  escort  was 
suddenly  attacked  by  a  large  band  of  Iroquois  who  were  hid- 
den on  the  shores  of  a  rapid  near  the  island  of  Montreal.  M. 
de  Lavaltrie  and  three  of  his  companions  were  killed.  The 
other  members  of  the  escort  succeeded  in  escaping. 

3.  François-Marie  Margane  de  Batilly.  Born  at  Mon- 
treal, November  13,  1672. 

At  the  baptism  of  François  Marie  Bissot  de  Vincennes  at 
Montreal,  June  17,  1700,  he  was  called  François  Margane, 
esquire,  sieur  de  Batilly.    He  signed  Batilly. 

January  2,  1694,  the  young  de  Batilly  was  made  ensign  in 
the  troops  of  the  detachment  of  the  Marine. 

In  the  winter  of  1703  and  1704  governor  de  Vaudreuil 
sent  a  party  of  250  men  against  New  England.  He  entrusted 
the  command  to  M.  Hertel  de  Rouville,  half-pay  lieutenant. 
This  party  ascended  Lake  Champlain  and  then  Onion  river. 
They  followed  first  the  Connecticut  river  as  far  as  Beerfield 
which  was  the  nearest  settlement  to  Canada  in  this  direction. 
This  village  was  defended  by  some  irregular  fortifications 
and  some  redoubts  which  the  snow  covered.  Deeriield  had 
a  garrison  of  twenty  soldiers.  M.  de  Rouville  approached  dur- 
ing the  night  of  February  29.  The  patrols  did  not  even  sus- 
pect the  presence  of  the  enemy.  Two  hours  before  dawn  the 
Canadians  and  their  savage  allies  scaled  the  wall,  penetrated 
the  village  and  surprised  the  inhabitants  in  their  sleep.  They 
did  not  have  time  even  to  resist.    The  place  was  destroyed  in 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  111 

a  few  moments.  Forty-seven  persons  were  killed  and  112 
made  prisoners.  The  village  was  reduced  to  ashes.  The  same 
morning  M.  de  Rouville  took  the  road  for  New  France  with 
his  prisoners  and  his  booty.  The  return  journey  lasted  25 
days  during  which  the  hardy  Canadians  and  their  prisoners 
had  no  other  food  than  that  which  the  hunt  could  provide 
them. 

M.  de  Rouville  had  lost  only  three  Canadians  and  some 
savages.  The  ensign  de  Batilly  was  killed  during  this  bold 
expedition.  As  M.  de  Vaudreuil  relates  in  his  account  to  the 
minister  of  the  exploit  of  M.  de  Rouville  against  Deerfield, 
dated  April  3,  1704. 

"We  have  lost  Monsieur  only  three  Frenchmen  and  some 
savages.  Among  these  is  Sr.  de  Batilly,  ensign,  a  very  brave 
man,  the  second  of  his  family  to  have  been  killed  in  the  serv- 
ice of  the  king. 

4.  Genevieve  M.  de  L.,  born  at  Montreal,  July  12,  1675. 
Married  at  Montreal,  January  3,  1696,  Charles  Le  Gardeur  de 
Lisle.     Died  at  Montreal,  November  30,  1702. 

5.  Madeleine  Louise,  M.  de  L.  Born  at  Lavaltrie,  Novem- 
ber 27,  1676.  Married  at  Montreal,  December  11,  1698,  Paul 
d'  Ailleboust  de  Perigny,  lieutenant  in  the  troops  of  the  de- 
tachment of  the  Marine. 

M.  de  Ailleboust  died  at  Montreal  February  3,  1745.  Ma. 
dame  d'  Ailleboust  survived  her  husband  many  years.  May 
22,  1761,  she  entered  in  retreat  among  the  gray  Sisters  at 
Montreal. 

6.  Pierre  Margane  des  Forets  et  de  Lavaltrie,  the  ances- 
tor of  the  present  family. 

7.  Barbe  M.  de  L.  Born  at  Lavaltrie  in  February  1681. 
Married  at  Montreal,  November  27,  1719,  to  Etienne  de  Brage- 
longue,  chevalier. 

8.  Jean  Baptiste  M.  de  L.  Born  at  Lavaltrie,  November 
3,  1683.    He  still  lived  in  1725. 


112  Sjeur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

9.  François  M.  de  L.  Born  at  Lavaltrie  September  9, 
1685. 

It  is  he  whom  the  American  historians  and  most  of  the 
Canadian  writers  of  history  consider  erroneously  the  founder 
of  Indiana,  making  him  usurp  the  glory  and  the  merit  of  his 
cousin  François-Marie  Bissot  de  Vincennes. 

About  1700  Augustin  Le  Garduer  de  Courtemanche,  lieu- 
tenant in  the  troops  of  the  detachment  of  the  Marine,  well 
known  for  his  exploits  in  war  and  his  bold  journeys  into  the 
east  made  an  exploration  of  the  coast  of  Labrador.  Fishing 
and  hunting  were  so  advantageous  in  this  unknown  region 
that  he  decided  to  settle  there.  He  made  his  settlement  near 
the  river  of  the  Eskimo.  In  order  to  hold  the  savages  in  awe 
he  also  built  a  little  fort  in  which  he  intended  to  place  some 
armed  men  in  order  to  be  prepared  for  whatever  might  happen. 

The  young  de  Lavaltrie  lover  of  adventures  of  the  chase 
and  of  fishing  followed  his  cousin  M.  Le  Gardeur  de  Courte- 
manche to  Labrador.  He  was  put  in  command  of  the  fort  of 
Pontchartrain. 

In  1711  young  de  Lavaltrie  had  the  honor  to  come  to  an- 
nounce to  Governor  Vaudreuil  that  the  English  had  crossed 
the  sea  with  a  formidable  fleet  with  the  intention  of  laying 
siege  to  Quebec.  Each  summer,  numerous  vessels  of  the 
French  and  of  strangers  came  to  fish  in  the  waters  of  Labrador. 
It  was  through  one  of  these  vessels  that  Minister  Pontchar- 
train communicated  this  serious  menace  to  M.  de  Courte- 
manche. 

M.  de  Lavaltrie,  in  the  month  of  October  of  the  same  year, 
announced  to  the  population  of  Quebec  the  horrible  shipwreck 
of  many  of  the  vessels  of  the  proud  Admiral  Walker  on  the 
reef  of  Egg  Island.  The  formal  examination  of  M.  de  Laval- 
trie before  the  provost  of  Quebec  gives  us  the  gloomy  details 
of  this  shipwreck  which  saved  the  colony. 

"Today,  October  18,  1711,  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  113 

before  us,  Paul  Depuy,  esquire,  commissioner  of  the  king  and 
his  particular  civil  and  criminal  lieutenant  in  the  court  of  the 
provost  and  admiralty  of  Quebec,  filling,  by  order  of  His 
Majesty,  the  function  of  lieutenant  general  in  the  chair,  in  our 
court,  and  in  the  presence  of  the  king's  prosecutor  there  ap- 
peared François  de  Margane,  Sr.,  de  Lavaltrie,  an  officer  serv- 
ing at  Fort  Pontchartrain  in  Labrador.  The  same,  after  hav- 
ing taken  the  oath  before  us  in  the  usual  manner  to  tell  the 
truth,  has  said  and  declared  that  on  the  third  of  last  August, 
he  was  sent  from  Fort  Pontchartrain  by  M.  de  Courtemanche, 
commandant  of  the  said  place  to  M.  de  Marquis  de  Vaudreuil, 
governor  general  of  this  country,  to  advise  him  that  this  city 
was  in  danger  of  being  besieged  by  the  English  enemies  of  the 
state,  according  to  the  advice  which  he  had  received  from 
Monseignor,  Count  Pontchartrain,  and  that  some  days  after 
his  arrival  in  the  said  city  the  said  governor  general  had 
ordered  him  to  return  to  his  post  and  that  if  the  enemy  ap- 
peared again  to  bring  him  news  of  them  as  soon  as  possible. 
He  reported  that  on  the  18th  of  last  September  he  returned  to 
Labrador  in  a  canoe  with  two  Frenchmen  and  a  savage  and 
that  on  the  first  of  this  month  having  arrived  at  Egg  Island, 
which  is  seventy  leagues  away  from  this  city,  he  perceived 
signs  of  a  shipwreck  which  compelled  him  to  land  and  get  out 
on  land  where  he  found  on  the  sand,  four  dead  men,  whom  he 
recognized  as  English  ;  that  he  discovered,  at  the  same  time,  a 
number  of  foot  prints  of  men  which  he  followed  with  his 
comrades  for  a  space  of  two  miles  along  which  road  they 
found  only  two  good  stranded  ship-boats  with  seven  or  eight 
others  which  could  be  repaired.  Returning  to  their  canoe, 
they  saw  two  men  who  were  walking  on  the  sand  and  whom 
they  recognized  by  their  speech,  to  be  French.  Having  ap- 
proached them  they  knew  them  to  belong  to  the  crew  of  the 
ship  of  a  man  named  Vital  Caron.  They  were  guarding  the 
booty  and  picking  up  more,  which  consisted  of  coats,  coverings, 


114  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

shirts,  and  other  spoils  which  they  showed  to  them  and  told 
them  of  the  ship-wreck  which  had  happened  to  the  English 
fleet  which  was  coming  to  besiege  this  city.  Since  they  did  not 
wish  to  go  to  the  city,  they  had  stayed  at  the  place,  declaring 
to  him  that  they  had  seen  seven  English  vessels  on  the  point 
of  land  toward  the  northern  coast  near  the  said  Egg  Island, 
of  which  one  was  entirely  broken  up,  two  others  half  destroyed 
and  three  others  driven  to  the  coast  of  which  one  held  with 
two  anchors  and  the  other  which  had  three  in  her  hull  and 
the  seventh  vessel,  which  floated  at  sea,  lay  at  anchor,  which  he 
believed  was  greater  than  any  which  are  at  present  in  the  road 
stead  of  the  village.  The  others  were  smaller,  however,  he 
estimated  at  about  three  or  four  hundred  tonnage.  The  larg- 
est, which  lay  at  anchor,  was  swept  away  from  its  first  bridge. 
The  iron  frame  work  of  those  which  were  burned  was  on 
the  shore.  That,  he  believed  that,  of  these  vessels,  only  the 
largest  one  could  be  repaired.  That  they  had  seen,  moreover, 
on  the  shore  fifty  to  sixty  dead  bodies  among  whom  there  were 
about  twenty  women,  some  of  whom  had  children  at  the  breast. 
That  they  had  also  seen  on  the  sand,  horses,  sheep,  dogs,  fowls, 
a  quantity  of  pack  saddles  for  the  work  horses,  three  or  four 
hundred  great  casks  encircled  with  iron.  They  did  not  know  if 
they  were  filled.  Many  wheel  barrows,  even  a  hogshead  of 
wine,  a  keg  and  a  half  of  brandy  of  which  they  had  declared 
they  had  drunk  several  times  with  the  said  two  men  of  the 
said  Caron.  That  there  were  also  on  the  shore,  ropes,  anchors, 
sail,  planks,  joists  of  oak,  hides,  pikes,  pick  axes,  oaken  planks, 
hinges  and  scrap  iron  of  which  they  had  seen  heaps  three  feet 
in  height  and  which  the  said  two  men  told  him,  that  the  said 
Vital  Caron  had  taken  away  two  wagon  loads  of  booty,  which 
ht  had  taken  with  him  to  the  Seven  Islands  to  divide  among 
the  men  of  his  crew  made  up  of  twenty-five  men,  and  that  one 
of  these  had  found  twenty  white  sous  in  the  pocket  of  one  of 
the  ship-wrecked  and  another  a  gold  watch.     That  all  these 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  115 

things  and  his  duty  had  made  him  give  up  his  voyage  and  the 
profit  which  he  could  have  made  by  doing  as  these  others  had 
done  by  taking  the  wreckage  of  this  ship  in  order  to  come  to 
this  city  to  bring  the  news  of  it  and  to  make  his  declaration  of 
it,  which  he  had  done  as  quickly  as  possible,  arriving  in  fifteen 
days  in  spite  of  the  bad  weather  which  he  had  during  his  voy- 
age, which  is  all  that  he  had  to  say.  Demanding,  moreover, 
that  there  be  accorded  to  him  the  rights  that  belong  to  an  in- 
former he  had  signed  the  original  with  us  on  the  day  and  the 
year  above  mentioned.  So  signed  to  the  said  original  Margane 
de  Lavaltrie,  Lespinay,  Dupuy,  and  Rivet  Greffier,  the  Under- 
signed.* 

May  9,  1712.  M.  de  Lavaltrie  married  at  Beauport,  Angéli- 
que Guyon-Desprès,  daughter  of  François  Guyon-Desprès,  and 
of  Madeleine  Marsolet. 

Before  he  had  even  settled  on  his  seigniory  of  Beauport, 
Robert  Giffard  on  March  14,  1634,  created  an  arrière-fief  in 
favor  of  one  his  compartiots,  Jean  Guyon.  Giffard  and  Guyon 
were  Percherons,  but  le  Perche  is  next  to  Normandy.  In  eight 
years  MM.  Giffard  and  Guyon  had  six  law  suits  concerning  this 
arrière-fief.  By  his  marriage  with  the  grand  daughter  of  Jean 
Guyon,  M.  de  Lavaltrie  became  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the 
arrière-fief  Du  Buisson.  A  veritable  fatality  was  attached  to 
this  property.  He  was  obliged  to  carry  on  three  or  four  law 
suits  to  protect  the  little  part  of  the  seigniorial  property  which 
his  marriage  had  brought  him. 

Sept.  19,  1713,  M.  de  Lavaltrie  associated  himself  with 
Bernard  de  Plaine  to  make  a  voyage  to  Cape  Breton  where  M. 
de  Plaine  had  some  property.  The  partners  intended  to  carry 
on  there  trading,  fishing,  and  hunting.  Since  each  partner  had 
furnished  an  unequal  amount  of  merchandise  it  was  under- 
stood that  he  who  had  furnished  the  most,  should  take  out  in 

^Archives  du  Canada,  Correspondence  générale,  vol.  F.  32,  p.  171. 


116  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

skins  at  the  current  price,  the  proportion  which  he  had  ad- 
vanced.   What  was  left  should  be  divided  half  and  half. 

The  partnership  between  M.  de  Lavaltrie  and  M.  de  Plaine 
did  not  last  long.  Labrador  with  its  inslands  abounding  in 
game,  its  rivers  full  of  fish  attracted  him.  He  soon  returned 
there.  Only  instead  of  being  under  the  order  of  M.  de  Court- 
emanche  he  fished  and  traded  with  the  savages  on  his  own  ac- 
count with  the  assistance  of  two  or  three  hired  men. 

M.  de  Lavaltrie  had  no  concession  in  Labrador.  The  coun- 
try was  large,  the  rivers  numerous  so  that  MM.  de  Courte- 
manche  and  Lavaltrie  could  easy  carry  on  his  exploits  without 
annoying  the  other.  As  long  as  M.  de  Courtemanche  lived 
there  was  no  difficulty  in  this  matter. 

In  June,  1717,  M.  de  Courtemanche  died  at  his  estate  on 
Phelippeaux  Bay.  Sieur  de  Brouage,  the  son  of  the  first  mar- 
riage of  his  wife,  succeeded  M.  de  Courtemanche  as  command- 
ant of  the  post  of  Labrador.  Young,  ardent,  jealous  of  his 
rights,  he  did  not  tarry  to  find  that  the  coast  of  Labrador,  in 
spite  of  its  immensity,  was  too  confined  for  him  and  M.  de 
Lavaltrie. 

Sept.  9,  1718,  he  complained  of  M.  de  Lavaltrie  to  the  con- 
sul of  the  Marines.  This  complaint  is  found  in  the  Archives 
du  Canada.     Correspondance  Générale. 

The  following  year,  Sept.  6,  1719,  M.  de  Brouage  put  in 
another  complaint  against  M.  de  Lavaltrie. 

M.  de  Lavaltrie  who  saw  that  M.  de  Brouage  would  suc- 
ceed in  driving  him  from  Labrador  if  he  did  not  attain  a  con- 
cession addressed  himself  to  MM.  de  Vaudreuil  and  Begon. 
They  presented  his  demand  to  the  minister.  May  25,  1719, 
the  minister  replied  favorably  to  the  governor  and  the  intend- 
ant. However,  the  consul  of  the  Marines  did  not  take  up  the 
demands  of  M.  de  Lavaltrie  until  January  23,  1720. 

Finally,  May  26,  1720,  the  king  signed  the  following  con- 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  117 

cession  in  favor  of  M.  de  Lavaltrie  :  "Today,  May  26,  1720, 
the  king,  being  at  Paris,  having  heard  favorably  the  demand 
which  has  been  made  of  him  by  the  Sr.  de  Lavaltrie  for  a 
grant  of  land  on  the  coast  of  Labrador,  to  establish  there  still 
fishing  for  cod  and  for  seal,  his  Majesty  on  the  advice  of  M. 
the  duke  d'Orléans,  regent,  has  granted  to  him  the  harbor  called 
the  St.  Augustine  River,  on  the  coast  of  Labrador  with  two 
miles  of  frontage  on  each  side  by  four  miles  of  depth  inland 
as  well  as  the  islands  and  the  smaller  islands  adjacent  to  the 
said  harbor  to  be  possessed  by  him  during  his  life.  On  con- 
dition that  he  will  make  the  concession  valuable  by  fisheries. 
His  Majesty  wishes  and  intends  that  he  alone  shall  have,  in  the 
harbor  and  in  the  two  miles  granted  to  him  as  well  as  in  the 
adjacent  islands,  the  right  to  fish  for  seal  and  other  fish.  He 
is  to  do  it  with  the  vessels  which  shall  come  to  the  said  harbor 
and  to  the  land  and  islands  granted  by  the  present  brevet,  which 
allows  him  to  trade  with  the  savages  who  may  be  found  on  the 
coast  of  Labrador,  without  being  held  bound  to  pay  to  his 
Majesty  or  to  succeeding  kings  any  sum  of  money  or  indem- 
nity. His  Majesty  has  made  him  a  gift  by  the  present  brevet 
which  shall  be  registered  with  the  superior  council  of  Quebec 
and  any  other  places  where  it  is  necessary.  His  Majesty  in 
witness  of  his  desire  wishes  to  sign  with  his  own  hand  this 
title  counter-signed  by  me,  secretary  of  state,  and  of  his  com 
mand  and  finances. 

Louis. 

Fleuri  ah.* 

M.  de  Brouage,  who  did  not  know  that  M.  de  Lavaltrie  had 
obtained  a  concession  from  the  king,  complained  bitterly  of 
him  to  the  minister  in  1720. 

Oct.  22,  1720,  Governor  de  Vaudreuil  wrote  to  the  minister  : 
"Concerning  the  complaints  which  Madame  de  Courtemanche 
*Insinuations  du  Conseil  Supérieur,  en  hier  5. 


118  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

and  her  son  made  to  me  last  year  against  Sr.  de  Lavaltrie  I  took 
pains  to  explain  to  him  when  I  wrote  to  him  last  spring  that 
it  depended  on  the  command  which  Seignior  Brouage  had  over 
all  the  coast  of  Labrador  and  that,  being  under  his  order,  he 
ought  to  have  for  him  the  regard  due  to  his  rank.  That,  more- 
over, he  ought  to  do  everything  that  he  could  to  live  on  good 
terms  with  the  said  Sr.  Brouage  and  with  the  lady  of  Courte- 
manche,  who  is  his  first  cousin,  since  they  are  children  of  two 
sisters.  Then  I  ordered  him  to  leave  home  as  soon  as  he  re- 
ceived my  letter  to  go  and  pay  his  respects  to  the  said  Sr.  de 
Brouage  and  his  mother.  To  report  to  them  what  he  had 
taken  in  the  boat  which  they  had  sent  to  him  and  to  ask  of  them 
their  friendship.  The  said  Sr.  de  Lavaltrie  advised  me  by  his 
reply  of  July  17  that  he  was  about  to  do  promptly  all  that  I 
had  ordered  him.  I  hope  that  in  the  future  no  more  com- 
plaints from  that  quarter  will  come  to  the  council.  At  least 
that  Madame  de  Courtemanche  will  not  continue  in  the  bad 
humor  on  account  of  the  jealousy,  which  she  seems  to  have 
that  others  beside  herself  should  settle  on  a  coast,  which  she 
believes  she  ought  to  possess  by  herself.  Being  certain  that 
there  is  nothing  but  this  jealousy  which  can  keep  up  in  her,  the 
bitterness  which  she  shows  against  Sr.  de  Lavaltrie  because 
he  attracts  the  savages  to  him.  But  on  the  contrary  she  has 
treated  him  with  much  unkindness,  not  only  in  refusing  him 
the  assistance  of  powder,  bullets  and  biscuit  of  which  he  had 
extreme  need,  but  also  in  making  her  son  forbid  the  captains 
who  were  fishing  along  this  coast  to  furnish  St.  Malo  any/' 

In  1725,  M.  de  Lavaltrie,  Zacharie  Turgeon  and  Charles 
Turgeon,  his  son,  both  residents  of  Beaumont,  and  Joseph 
Filteau,  resident  of  the  isle  of  Orleans,  formed  a  partnership 
to  cultivate  by  thirds  the  post  of  St.  Augustine.  Turgeon  was 
to  furnish  his  boat  called  the  Saint-Etienne  of  about  twenty 
tons  and  he  was  to  have  a  third  of  the  profits  and  a  third 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  119 

share  of  the  expenses  for  three  consecutive  years.  Sept.  0, 
1726,  the  partnership  was  dissolved,  the  Turgeons,  father  and 
son,  retired  on  account  of  their  share  in  the  profits.  The  ship, 
the  Saint-Etienne,  remained  the  property  of  M.  de  Laval  trie 
and  Joseph  Filteau,  who  continued  together  the  exploitation  of 
the  post  of  St.  Augustine.* 

On  the  death  of  his  mother,  March  1,  1733,  M.  de  Lavaitrie 
had  inherited  certain  rights  in  the  seigniory  of  Lavaitrie.  Nov. 
3,  1733,  M.  de  Lavaitrie  sold  to  his  eldest  brother,  Pierre  Mar- 
gane  de  Lavaitrie,  officer  in  the  troops  of  the  detachment  of 
the  Marine,  "His  right  of  succession,  mobile  and  immobile, 
fruits  and  revenues,  which  he  could  have  in  the  succession  of 
the  late  M.  Séraphin  Margane  de  Lavaitrie  as  well  as  in  that  of 
the  lady  Louise  Bissot,  their  father  and  mother,  for  the  sum 
of  2,200  livres."t 

The  Seigniors  under  the  French  regime  were  often  as  poor 
as  their  tenants.  It  was  not  until  four  years  later  that  the  Sr. 
de  Lavaitrie  was  able  to  pay  off  his  debt  of  2,200  livres  to  his 
brother. 

Sept.  11,  1737,  M.  de  Lavaitrie  farmed  out  his  post  on  the 
River  St.  Augustine,  on  the  coast  of  Labrador,  for  the  time  and 
space  of  three  years  to  Michel  Petrimoulx,  Charles  Cheron  and 
Nicolas  Cheron,  the  elder,  all  of  Quebec.  The  three  partners 
were  to  carry  on  the  business  of  fishing  for  seal  of  trading- 
with  the  savages,  of  hunting,  etc.,  etc.,  in  the  place  of  M.  de 
Lavaitrie.  This  lease  was  made  for  the  sum  of  250  livres  a 
year.    The  partners  paid  their  first  year's  rent  in  advance. 

In  1739,  a  sad  event  changed  the  destiny  of  M.  de  Lavaitrie. 
On  the  29th  of  December  his  wife,  Angélique  Guyon-Despres, 
died  at  Beauport  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years.  She  had  given 
him  a  son,  Louis-François  Margane  de  Lavaitrie,  born  at  Beau- 

*Acte  de  Lonet,  September  6,  1726. 
tActe  de  Adhemar,  November  3,  1733. 


120  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

port,  Jan.  28,  1713.  Eleven  months  before  the  death  of  his 
mother,  on  Jan.  22,  1739,  at  St.  Thomas,  young  de  Lavaltrie 
had  married  Marie-Anne  Couillard.  Left  alone  in  his  home, 
M.  de  Lavaltrie  decided  to  become  a  priest.  During  the  1740 
and  1741  he  was  busy  arranging  all  his  affairs  and  disposing 
of  his  interests. 

Dec.  9,  1741,  M.  de  Lavaltrie  rented,  from  Sept.  1,  1742,  to 
the  same  day  of  1748,  his  estate  commonly  called  St.  Augus- 
tine, on  the  coast  of  Labrador,  to  Jean  Baptiste  Pommereau, 
lawyer  of  Quebec.  M.  Pommereau  was  to  have  possession  dur- 
ing his  lease  of  all  the  privileges  granted  to  M.  de  Lavaltrie 
by  the  act  of  concession  of  May  26,  1720.  This  lease  was 
made  for  the  sum  of  250  livres  a  year.  It  was  understood  be- 
tween M.  de  Lavaltrie  and  M.  Pommereau  that  at  the  end  of 
this  lease  M.  de  Lavaltrie  could  not  rent  it  to  anyone  without 
giving  the  preference  to  M.  Pommereau. 

His  affairs  in  order,  M.  de  Lavaltrie  entered  the  high 
seminary  of  Quebec.  He  must  have  completed  an  excellent 
course  of  study  for  he  received  all  the  orders  in  less  than  two 
years.  He  was  ordained  priest  by  Mgr.  de  Pontbrîand  Sept. 
22,  1742. 

M.  de  Lavaltrie  continued  to  reside  in  the  seminary  of 
Quebec  assisting  the  curé  of  Quebec  in  the  functions  of  Holy 
Minister.  In  Jan.,  1746,  Mgr.  de  Pontbriand  appointed  M.  de 
Lavaltrie  curé  of  the  parish  of  Cape  St.  Ignace.  Raised  to  the 
priesthood,  when  he  was  fifty-eight  years  old,  sick  and  worn 
out,  M.  de  Lavaltrie  was  not  in  condition  to  assume  the  duties 
of  a  Holy  Minister  in  the  country.  In  Sept.,  1747,  he  returned 
to  the  seminary  at  Quebec.  Mgr.  de  Pontbriand  made  him 
priest  of  l'Hôtel  Dieu  at  Quebec  though  lie  lived  at  the  semi- 
nary. 

M.  de  Lavaltrie  died  at  the  Hotel  Dieu  at  Quebec,  March 
6,  1750,  and  was  buried  the  next  day  in  the  cemetery  of  this 
hospital.     It  is  said  in  his  act  of  burial  that  he  died  "fortified 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  121 

by  the  sacriments  of  the  church  and  after  having  suffered  with 
patience  the  pain  of  a  long  sickness  and  having  given  every- 
one an  example  of  great  virtue." 

A  word  concerning  the  son  of  M.  de  Lavaltrie.  We  have 
been  able  to  find  neither  the  place  nor  the  date  of  his  death. 
All  that  we  can  assert  is  that  he  died  between  Dec,  1743,  and 
Aug.,  1744.  His  widow  remarried  at  Beauport,  July  3,  1747, 
Louis  Fournier  des  Carrières,  cadet  in  the  company  de  la 
Martiniere  in  the  troop  of  the  detachment  of  the  Marine. 

By  her  marriage  with  M.  de  Lavaltrie  she  had  had  four 
children. 

1.  Louis  Francois  Margane  de  Lavaltrie.  Born  at  Beau- 
port,  April  6,  1740.  In  1766  he  was  an  officer  in  the  troops 
of  Louisiana. 

2.  Marie-Louise-Michelle  M.  de  L.  Born  at  Beauport, 
Sept.  19,  1741.    Died  at  Quebec,  May  17,  1784. 

3.  Marie-Anne  M.  de  L.  Born  at  Beauport,  Sept.  19, 
1742.    Died  at  Quebec,  Oct.  16,  1797. 

4.  Angélique  M.  de  L.  Born  at  Beauport,  Aug.  27,  1744. 
Died  at  St.  Thomas,  Jan.  4,  1768. 

10.  Catherine-Alphonsine  M.  de  L.  Born  at  Montreal, 
March  11,  1690.    Died  Aug.  17,  1690. 

11.  Louise-Marguerite  M.  de  L.  Born  at  Montreal,  Dec.  5, 
1691.  Married  at  Quebec,  Oct.  28,  1713,  to  Claude-Charles  Du 
Tisne,  ensign  of  a  company  of  the  troops  of  the  detachment 
of  the  Marine. 

M.  du  Tisne,  originally  from  Paris,  of  the  parish  St.  Ger- 
maine d'  Auxerre,  came  to  New  France  in  the  beginning  of  the 
18th  century.  In  1714  he  obtained  permission  to  serve  in  the 
troops  of  Louisiana.  In  1722  he  received  the  command  of  a 
company  and  the  following  year  the  king  gave  him  the  com- 
mand of  a  post  among  the  Illinois.  He  died  among  the  Illinois 
in  1730. 


122  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

One  of  the  sons  of  M.  du  Tisne  was  burned  by  the  Chicka- 
saws,  March  25,  1736,  at  the  same  time  of  M.  de  Vincennes. 

VI. 

PIERRE  MARGANE  DES  FORETS  AND  DE 
LAVALTRIE. 

He  was  born  at  Lavaltrie  in  1679.  He  was  admitted  at  the 
age  of  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  as  petty  officer  in  the  troops  of 
the  detachment  of  the  Marine. 

Nov.  17,  1704,  M.  de  Vaudreuil  and  Beauharnois  wrote  to 
the  minister:  "A  Sr.  de  Batilly,  ensign,  who  distinguished 
himself  greatly  in  the  party  which  Sr.  de  Vaudreuil  sent  this 
winter  against  the  English  having  been  killed  there  we  propose 
to  you  Sr.  de  Forets,  who  has  been  a  petty  officer  for  a  long 
time,  to  fill  the  position  of  his  brother,  who  is  the  second  of  the 
family  killed  in  the  service  of  the  king.  He  is  a  very  good  sub- 
ject who  deserves  the  honor  of  your  protection.  Both  of  them 
are  children  of  an  ancient  captain  in  the  troops  of  this  country 
after  having  been  in  Carignan's  regiment." 

We  must  believe  that  the  minister  had  many  others  to  ad- 
vance in  rank  before  M.  de  Forets,  since  i't  was  not  until  eight 
years  later  that  he  was  promoted  ensign.  His  commission  is 
dated  June  21,  1712.  He  is  still  designated  under  the  name  of 
M.  des  Forets. 

In  1721  M.  des  Forets,  or  rather  M.  de  Lavaltrie,  for  lie 
had  taken  the  name  of  his  father  in  the  interval,  rose  in  rank. 
He  was  made  Lieutenant.  The  delay  had  this  time  been  nine 
years.  M.  de  Lavaltrie,  certainly  took  part  in  some  of  the  cam- 
paigns of  the  troops  of  the  Marine  during  the  period  between 
1712  and  1721,  but  we  can  find  no  mention  of  it. 

May  12,  1739,  M.  de  Lavaltrie  received  the  command  of  a 
company.1 

i  Rapport  sur  les  archives  Canadiennes  for  1904,  p.  261. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  123 

Aug.  12,  1746,  M.  de  Lavaltrie  assisted,  at  the  Chateau  St. 
Louis  at  Quebec,  at  an  important  convention  of  the  principle 
officers  of  the  colony,  military  as  well  as  civil,  and  of  the  resi- 
dents of  Quebec.  It  was  necessary  to  make  a  decision  con- 
cerning the  importance  of  continuing  or  not  the  fortifications  of 
Quebec.  Minister  Maurepas  was  of  the  opinion  that  these 
works  were  not  necessary  and  that  if  they  were  undertaken  it 
should  be  at  the  expense  of  the  residents  of  Quebec.  Opinion 
differed  much.  Most  of  the  civil  officers  and  of  the  mer- 
chants pronounced  themselves  in  favor  of  the  destruction  of 
the  work  already  begun.  Some  of  them  were  in  favor  of  sus- 
pending the  work  until  a  new  order  from  His  Majesty.  Finally 
the  majority  was  in  favor  of  continuing  the  work.  M.  de 
Lavaltrie  was  among  this  number. 

In  the  month  of  Aug.,  1746,  M.  de  Rigaud  received  from 
Gov.  Beauharnois  the  command  of  a  party  of  Canadians  and 
Indians,  who  were  to  make  a  sally  into  New  England  covering 
Fort  St.  Frederic.  He  had  under  his  orders  600  Canadians 
and  300  savages.  Among  his  officers  were  Captain  de  Laval- 
trie.  An  account  of  this  expedition  may  be  found  in  the  Arch- 
ives of  Canada,  Correspondance  Générale. 

M.  de  Lavaltrie  was  among  the  number  of  the  officers  of 
this  expedition  recommended  as  the  most  worthy  of  promotion 
and  of  the  cross  of  St.  Louis,  which  he  received  May  23,  1749. 

In  1751,  M.  de  Lavaltrie  was  at  Fort  Frontenac  with  M.  de 
Vercheres.* 

By  a  letter  from  M.  de  Longueuil  to  M.  de  Rouillé,  April 
21,  1752,  we  discover  that  M.  de  Lavaltrie  was  then  command- 
ant at  Fort  Niagara.  M.  de  Celeron,  commander  at  Detroit, 
had  sent  M.  de  Lavaltrie  important  dispatches  begging  him  to 
have  a  soldier  carry  them  to  Fort  Rouille  (Toronto)  whence 
they  would  be  sent  on  to  Montreal.    This  soldier  disappeared. 

*L'abbe  Auguste  Gosselin,  Le  Fondateur  De  la  Presentation: 
L'abbe  Picquet,  p.  21. 


124  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

He  had  probably  been  killed  by  the  Indians.  M.  de  Lavaitrie 
took  much  trouble  to  find  the  dispatches  of  M.  de  Celleron  fear- 
ing that  they  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  English. 

On  Oct.  1,  1755,  M.  de  Vaudreuil,  governor  of  New  France, 
held  a  conference  at  Montreal  with  twenty  ambassadors  from 
the  Tsonnontouans.  M.  de  Lavaitrie  was  among  the  officers 
who  assisted  at  this  conference.  The  principle  orator  was  the 
chief  Gaiachoton  who  presented  several  wampum  belts  to  the 
governor.  M.  de  Joncaire  who  had  been  adopted  by  the  tribe 
was  their  interpreter.  The  savage  etiquette  demanded  a  cer- 
tain delay  between  the  presentation  of  the  wampum  belts  and 
the  reply  of  the  governor.  On  Oct.  3  the  Indian  ambassadors 
received  again  M.  de  Vaudreuil  and  the  officers  who  had  as- 
sisted at  the  former  conference.* 

Dec.  13,  1756,  there  was  held  a  new  conference  again  at 
Montreal  between  M.  de  Vaudreuil  and  100  ambassadors  from 
various  Indian  tribes. 

M.  de  Vaudreuil  in  order  to  dazzle  these  important  person- 
ages surrounded  himself  with  a  brilliant  staff.  M.  de  Laval- 
trie  assisted  at  this  conference  also.  The  chiefs  of  the  Iro- 
quois of  Sault  Saint-Louis  and  of  the  Lake  of  the  Two  Moun- 
tains were  also  present.  The  speeches  were  numerous  and 
long.  M.  Perthuis,  who  spoke  Iroquois,  as  if  it  were  his  own 
tongue,  was  the  orator  on  this  occasion. 

In  August,  1757,  M.  de  Lavaitrie  took  part  in  the  siege  of 
Fort  William  Henry  situated  at  the  lower  end  of  Lake  Saint- 
Sacrament  (today  Lake  George).  The  French  and  Canadian 
troops  were  commanded  by  MM.  de  Montcalm  and  de  Levis. 
They  accomplished  prodigies  of  valor.  The  Indians  also  fought 
valiantly.  Colonel  Monroe,  commander  of  Fort  William 
Henry,  capitulated  Aug.  9,  1757,  after  having  put  up  an  in- 
trepid defense  for  nine  days. 

*E-B  O'Callaghan,  Documents  relative  to  the  history  of  the  Stnte 
of  New  York,  vol.  X,  p.  345. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  125 

This  glorious  victory  was,  however,  sullied  by  the  massacre 
which  the  allied  savages  inflicted  upon  the  English  prisoners  of 
war.  There  was,  it  would  seem,  imprudence  on  both  sides.  On 
the  French  side  not  enough  precaution  was  taken  to  protect 
the  English  from  the  attacks  of  the  savages.  On  the  English 
side  the  inconceivable  imprudence  was  committed  of  giving  rum 
in  abundance  to  the  savages. 

The  following  year  on  July  8,  M.  de  Lavaltrie  took  part  in 
the  glorious  battle  of  Carillon,  which  was  the  fruit  of  the  mil- 
itary genius  of  Montcalm  and  of  the  valor  of  his  troops. 

Jan.  26,  1759,  the  king  granted  a  pension  of  400  livres  to 
M.  de  Lavaltrie. 

From  a  letter  from  M.  de  Vaudreuil  to  Minister  Berryer  of 
March  30,  1759,  we  see  that  M.  de  Lavaltrie  passed  the  winter 
of  1758  and  1759  near  Fort  Duquesne,  watching  the  movements 
of  the  English,  with  a  certain  number  of  Canadians  and  of 
Indians. 

In  a  general  table  of  the  officers  of  the  Marine  serving  in 
Canada,  prepared  in  1759  or  in  1760  one  reads  : 

"Lavaltrie  Desforets  infantry  ensign  in  1712,  lieutenant  in 
1721  Captain  in  1739." 

In  a  postscript  list  of  the  officers  of  the  troops  of  the  de- 
tachment of  the  Marine  prepared  in  1761  or  1762  one  reads 
concerning  M.  de  Lavaltrie  :  "Rich,  an  honest  man,  a  widower, 
out  of  condition  to  serve.    Has  remained  in  Canada." 

M.  de  Lavaltrie  did  not  survive  long  the  change  of  regime. 
He  died  at  Montreal  Jan.  1,  1766. 

He  had  married  at  Montreal  Oct.  14,  1732,  Louise-Charlotte 
d'Ailleboust  d'Argenteuil.  Of  their  marriage  were  born  four 
children. 

1.  Louise- Jeanne  M.  de  L.  Born  at  Montreal,  Aug.  8, 
1733.  Died  Dec.  27,  1822,  and  was  buried  at  Lavaltrie  the  30 
of  the  same  month. 


126  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

2.  Marguerite-Charlotte  M.  de  L.  Born  at  Montreal  Feb. 
28,  1735.    Died  in  the  same  place  June  7,  1735. 

3.  Marguerite-Charlotte-Stanislas  M.  de  L.  Born  at  Mon- 
treal Nov.  13,  1739.    Died  at  St  Laurent  April  29,  1749. 

4.  Pierre-Paul  M.  de  L.  Born  at  Montreal  Aug.  14,  1743. 
The  continuer  of  the  line. 

Pierre-Paul  Margane  de  Lavaltrie. 

He  entered  in  the  troops  of  the  detachment  of  the  Marine 
when  he  was  thirteen  years  old.  In  1759  when  he  was  hardly 
sixteen  years  old,  he  fought  bravely  against  the  English.  After 
the  fall  of  Quebec  and  the  capitulation  of  Montreal  he  went 
to  France  in  order  to  continue  to  serve  in  the  French  army.  In 
1765  he  returned  to  this  country,  at  the  request  of  his  father, 
who  was  then  eighty-seven  years  old  and  whose  only  son  he 
was,  to  whom  he  wished  to  leave  his  seigniory. 

In  1775  faithful  to  the  new  masters  of  the  country  M.  de 
Lavaltrie  took  up  arms  to  fight  against  the  American  troops 
who  had  invaded  the  Canadian  territory,  and  was  on  the  list 
of  officers  named  in  order  of  merit  because  they  had  shown 
themselves  to  be  good  subjects. 

In  1791  England  granted  us  a  new  constitution.  The  anci- 
ent province  of  Quebec  was  divided  into  two  provinces,  Upper 
Canada  and  Lower  Canada.  Each  one  having  a  legislative 
council  and  a  chamber  of  the  Assembly.  The  province  of 
Lower  Canada  was  divided  into  twenty-one  counties. 

At  the  election  of  deputies  to  the  new  chamber  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1792,  M.  de  Lavaltrie  was  chosen  deputy  of  the  county 
of  Warwick  in  which  his  seigniory  was  located.  He  kept  his 
seat  to  the  end  of  the  first  parliament,  until  May,  1796. 

M.  de  Lavaltrie  died  at  his  seigniory  at  Lavaltrie,  Sept.  10, 
1810.  He  was  buried  two  days  later  in  the  church  of  Lavaltrie 
under  the  seigniorial  pew  at  the  right  hand  side  of  the  altar. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  127 

M.  de  Lavaltrie  married  at  Terre  Bonne,  March  31,  1766, 
Marie-Angélique  de  La  Corne  de  Chapt.  She  died  at  Lavaltrie 
Feb.  26,  1815,  and  was  buried  the  next  day  in  the  parish 
church.  Only  one  child  was  born  of  their  marriage.  Suzanne 
Antoinette,  who  married  Charles  Gaspard  Tarieu  de  Lanaud- 
ière.  Madame  Tarieu  de  Lanaudière  died  at  Lavaltrie,  April 
22,  1822,  and  was  buried  in  the  parish  church  under  the  chapel 
of  the  Holy  Virgin.  With  her  death  disappeared  the  last  mem- 
ber of  the  family  of  Lavaltrie,  who  had  played  so  wonderful 
a  role  in  our  country  for  a  century  and  a  half. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY  of  the  works  which  have  spoken  of  the 
BISSOTS  de  VINCENNES,  particularly  of  FRANCOIS- 
MARIE   BISSOT   DE  VINCENNES. 

Alerding,  History  of  the  Catholic  Church,  Diocese  of  Vin- 
cennes, p.  54. 

Appleton's  Cyclopedia  of  American  Biographies,  vol.  VI, 
p.  298. 

Bancroft,  History  of  the  United  States,  vol.  Ill,  p.  367. 

Bibaud,  Dictionnaire  Historique  des  Hommes  Illustres  du 
Canada,  1st  edition,  p.  342;  2d  edition,  p.  313. 

Bouchette,  Description  Topographique  de  la  Province  du 
Bas-Canada,  pp.  523,  525. 

Brice,  History  of  Fort  Wayne,  p.  12. 

Bryan,  Indiana's  First  Settlement,  Clark's  Important  Con- 
quest of  Post  Vincennes,  in  The  Magazine  of  American  His- 
tory, vol.  XXI,  p.  386. 

Cauthorn,  Brief  Sketch  of  Vincennes,  pp.  17,  25. 

Charlevoix,  History  de  la  Nouvelle-France,  vol.  11,  p.  502. 

Craig,  Ouiatanon,  A  Study  in  Indiana  History,  p.  16. 

Dillon,  History  of  Indiana,  edition  of  1843,  p.  61  ;  edition 
1859,  p.  402. 


128  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

Dunn,  The  Mission  to  the  Oubache,  In  Ind.  Hist.  Soc. 
Pubs.,  vol.  Ill,  pp.  303,  305,  309. 

Dunn,  The  Founding  of  Post  Vincennes,  in  The  Magazine 
of  American  History,  vol.  XXII,  p.  143. 

Dunn,  Who  Was  Sieur  de  Vincennes?  in  Indiana  Maga- 
zine of  American  History,  vol.  XII,  p.  131. 

Eschmann,  Kaskaskia  Church  Records  in  Transactions  of 
the  Illinois  State  Historical  Society  for  the  Year  1914,  p.  394. 

Faul,  Memorable  Days  in  America  Being  the  Journal  of 
a  Tour  in  the  United  States. 

Ferland,  Notes  Sur  Les  Registres  de  Notre-Dame  de  Que- 
bec,  1st  edition,  p  — ;  2d  edition,  p.  79. 

Ferland,  Cours  D'Histoire  du  Canada,  vol  11,  p.  468. 

Gagnon,  Jean  Bissot  de  Vincennes,  in  Bulletin  des  Recher- 
ches Historiques,  vol.  VI,  p.  109. 

Gayarre,  Histoire  de  la  Louisiane,  vol.  1,  p.  333. 

Judgments  et  Deliberations  du  Conseeil  Souverain  de  la 
Nouvelle  France,  vol.  11,  pp.  799,  807,  810,  813,  834;  vol.  111, 
p.  189. 

Langdon,  The  Pageant  of  Indiana. 

Law,  Address  Before  the  Vincennes  Historical  and  Anti- 
quarian Society,  p.  21. 

Law,  Colonial  History  of  Vincennes,  p.  121. 

Law,  Jesuit  Missionaries  in  the  Northwest,  in  Wisconsin 
Historical  Collections,  vol.  Ill,  p.  100. 

Mallet,  Very  Revd.  Pierre  Gibault,  in  The  Washington 
Catholic,  Sept.  30,  1882. 

Mallet,  Sieur  de  Vincennes,  the  Founder  of  Indiana's  Old- 
est Tozvn. 

Mallet,  Le  Sieur  de  Vincennes,  Fondateur  de  L'Iniana. 

Margry,  Louis  JoJUliet,  in  Revue  Canadienne,  vol.  IX, 
p.  219. 


Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified  129 

Margry,  Memories  et  Documents  Pour  Servir  a  L'Histoire 
des  Origines  Françaises  des  Pays  D'Outre-Mer,  vol.  657,  658. 

Mason,  Kaskaskia  and  Its  Parish  Records,  in  The  Maga- 
zine of  American  History,  vol.  VI,  p.  161. 

Mason,  Kaskaskia  and  Its  Parish  Records,  in  Michigan 
Pioneer  Collections,  vol.  5,  p.  104. 

O'Callaghan,  Documents  Relative  to  the  Colonial  History 
of  the  State  of  New  York,  vol.  IX,  pp.  676,  759,  760,  761,  763, 
766,  777,  778,  894,  931. 

Poussin,  De  la  Puissance  Américaine,  vol.  1,  p.  183. 

Rameau,  Acadiens  et  Canadiens,  p.  286. 

Rawston,  The  Old  Post. 

Roy,  Francois  Bissot,  Sieur  de  la  Riviere,  in  Mémoires  et 
Compte  Rendus  de  la  Société  Royale  dl  Canada,  1st  series, 
vol.  X,  p.  29. 

Roy,  Histoire  de  la  Seigneurie  de  Lauzon,  vol.  1,  pp.  49, 
174,  228,  234,  239. 

Schmitt,  The  Records  of  the  Parish  of  St-Francis-Xavier 
at  Post  Vincennes,  Ind.,  Translated  from  the  French,  in 
Records  of  the  American  Catholic  Historical  Society,  vol.  XII, 
pp.  41,  193,  322. 

Shea,  Magazine  of  American  History,  vol.  IV,  p.  255. 

Shea,  Charlevoix's  History  of  Nezv  France,  vol.  VI,  p.  122. 

Shea.  ATcw  York  Freeman's  Journal,  Jan.  26,  1884. 

Shea,  The  Catholic  News,  Sept.  10,  1890. 

Spalding,  Life  of  Bishop  Flaget,  p.  39. 

Suite,  Histoire  des  Canadiens  Français,  vol.  Ill,  p.  11  ;  vol. 
IV,  p.  94;  vol.  VI,  119;  vol.  VIII,  p.  51. 

Tanguay,  Dictionnaire  Généalogique  des  Families  Cana- 
diennes, vol.  1,  p.  56;  vol.  11,  p.  299. 

Thomas,  Travels  Through  the  Western  Country,  p.  190. 


130  Sieur  de  Vincennes  Identified 

Thwaites,  The  Jesuit  Relations  and  Allied  Documents,  vol. 
LXX,  p.  316. 

Tuttle,  History  of  Indiana,  p.  316. 

Wallace,  The  History  of  Illinois  and  Louisiana  Under  the 
French  Rule,  p.  302. 


